l'^^ 

w- 



-v:uu:--.uu-:;- 



S^. 



^ 








i 



■^ 



I 









. life'.;'* 



II IS/^BELLA COUNTY, MICH. 

SOI^TI^AITS AND Biogi^;aphi6al Si^etghes 

pi^onimcnt; and I^epfe^eqtatiiVB Citizeq^ of tfje Counti}, 

TOGETHEli WITH PORTRAI IS AXD IllOdli APII lES OF ALL THE (iO\'E/{X()L'S OF MICHIGAN 
AND OF THE PFESinENTS OP 'THE UNITED STATES. 



ALSO CONTAIMNi; A COM 1M.KII-; lilSlOiiV ol- I I ll-; COl'NTY, I KOM I IS KAHI.IKST SETTI.E.MEN I 

TO Till-: I'UKSMNr TIME. 



CHICAGO: 

t \ \ i;i<' ' I 
1SS4. 




^ 



J 






>aDD-^- 



^2 



a 



-?<'«D>:i 






^ 



Vi 



I 






"f^!/ -^t^^fe?^ v3^^ 



'^ 



/; / 



A 



^. 



t 



^'^- 



iaa:<^iiu^>^ 



r 



I 



11 






t 



f^.-^(^% 




'"&fjS"' 



^. i> J^>^' iV'Tk''*^ 





E HAVE completed our labors in writing and compiling the Portrait andBiograph- 
\ II \L Album of Isabella County, and wish, in presenting it toils patrons, to speak 
briefly of the importance of local works of this nature. It is certainly the duty ■ 
of the present to commemorate the past, to perpetuatcthe names of the pioneers, 
to furnish a record of their early settlement, and to relate the story of their progress. 
\ The civilization of our day, the enlightenment of the age, and this solemn duty which 
'- ^ men of the present time owe to their ancestors, to themselves and to their posterity^ 
demand that a record of their lives and deeds should be made. In local history is found a power 
to instruct man by precedent, to enliven the mental faculties, and to waft down the river of time a safe 
vessel in which the names and actions of the people who contributed to raise this region from its 
primitive state may be preserved. Surely and rapidly the noble men who in their prime entered 
the wild forests of Isabella and claimed the virgin soil as their heritage, are passing to 
their graves. The number remaining who can relate the history of the first days of settlement is 
becoming small indeed, so that an actual necessity exists for the collection and preservation of his- 
torical matter without delay, before the settlers of the wilderness are cut down by time. Not only 
isit of the greatest importance to render history of pioneer times full and accurate, but it is also essen- 
(^ ) tial that the history of the county, from its settlement to the present day, should be treated through its various 
phases, so that a record, complete and impartial, may be handed down to the future. The present the age 
of progress, is reviewed, standing out in bold relief over the quiet, unostentatious olden times; it is abrilliant 
record, which is destined to live in the future; the good works of men, their magnificent enterprises, their 
lives, whether commercial or military, do not sink into oblivion, but, on the contrary, grow brighter with age, 
and contribute to build up a record which carries with it precedents and principles that will be advanced and 
observed when the acts of soulless men will be forgotten, and their very names hidden in obscurity. 

In the preparation of the personal sketches contained in this volume, unusual care and pains were 
taken to have them accurate, even in the smallest detail. Indeed, nothing was passed lightly over or treated 
indifferently, and we flatter ourselves that it is one of the most accurate works of its nature ever published. 
As one of the most interesting features of this work, we present the portraits of numerous representa- 
tive citizens. It has been our aim to have the prominent men of to-day, as well as the pioneers, represented 
in this department; and we congratulate ourselves on the uniformly high character of the gentlemen whose 
portraits we present. They are in the strictest sense representative men, and are selected from all the call- 
ings and professions worthy to be represented. There are others, it is true, who claim equal prominence with 
those presented, but of course it was impossible for us to give portraits of all the leading men and pioneers 
of the county. We are under great obligation to many of the noble and generous people of Isabella 
County for kindly and material assistance in the preparation of this Album. 

CHAPMAN BROIHRRS. 
Chicago, /"fy, J8S4. 



/ 



•i. 



i 



„ 






i^^ 



-7\ 



<M'Mh>T 



^^f^vi^ 













I) 



.'q\ 



f(z) 



-^^Dfl^CDr^^- 










>5 



(!) 



■:^^ c'V^^Il D;^' H[l^i> v ' 'w ' ^ i^y^ 











..+.,.+. .+, •■'^/y^y '> ^^A ••'•• ■■'•• --^ •+-!•■ .t.,.t,.t.,.+. 




4^^JC(sVp 



vs 



^5 



c-:^: 






<o) 



ii>^V®»«^t|- ^=^«^^!J^^^ — ^^<^[l :^ HDf-^-^ — ^''^^ -l^^f®>^7 



SSiSf 



-cr 



v<>DP>:ilIls> 



-4?^C(s^-#; 



t 

% 
f 



e 



/7s 







Nl 






-^ 



/^ 



? 



-^^c^x'^^ — e-^^n!]^D(ii>=^ 





'^^^. 



i^K®>)«^€- 



^ 



FIRST PRESIDENT. 



/?>■, 



, ■; .>i;s«^^i«P.*:^i i:^' 



; i'j£j)'^'^'^i'<; 1 





i'<^^'S«JSS*?^«^>^<^'SS 



V 



EOBBE ^l 



7 A « 



BT®N. 



; .V. V^sTV^ 'i •■ '■•.'■ V.'. V'tigi't^<^'t^W''^j!t'^'v 




HF Father of our Country was 
1 l)0in in Westmorland Co., Va., 
1 eh 22, 1732. His parents 
were Augustine and Mary 
(Ball) Washington. The family 
to which he belonged has not 
been satisfactorily traced in 
England. His great-grand- 
father, John Washington, em- 
igrated to Virginia about 1657, 
and became a prosperous 
planter. He had two sons, 
Lawrence and John. The 
former married Mildred Warner 
and had three children, John, 
Augustine and Mildred. Augus- 
tine, the father of George, first 
married Jane Butler, who bore 
him four children, two of whom, 
Lawrence and Augustine, reached 
maturity. Of six children by his 
second marriage, George was the 
eldest, the others being Betty, 
Samuel, John Augustine, Chades 
and Mildred. 
Augustine Washington, the father of George, died 
in 1743, leaving a large landed property. To his 
eldest son, Lawrence, he bequeathed an estate on 
the Patomac, afterwards known as Mount Vernon, 
and to George he left the parental residence. George 
received only such education as the neighborhood 
schools afforded, save for a short time after he left 
scliool, when he received private instruction in 
mathematics. His spelling was rather defective. 



Remarkable stories are told of his great physical 
strength and development at an early age. He was 
an acknowledged leader among his companions, and 
was eady noted for that nobleness of character, fair- 
ness and veracity which characterized his whole life. 

When George was 1 4 years old he had a desire to go to 
sea, and a midshipman's warrant was secured for him, 
but through the opposition of his mother the idea was 
abandoned. Two years later he was appointed 
surveyor to the immense estate of Lord Fairfax. In 
this business he spent three years in a rough frontier 
life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very 
essential to him. In 175 i, though only 19 years of 
age, he was appointed adjutant with the rank of 
major in the Virginia militia, then being trained for 
active service against the French and Indians. Soon 
after this he sailed to the West Indies with his brother 
Lawrence, who went there to restore his health. They 
soon returned, and in the summer of 1752 Lawrence 
died, leaving a large fortune to an infant daughter 
who did not long survive him. On her demise the 
estate of Mount Vernon was given to George. 

Upon the arrival of Robert Dinwiddie, as Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of Virginia, in 1752, the militia was 
reorganized, and the province divided into four mili- 
tary districts, of which the northern was assigned to 
Washington as adjutant general. Shortly after this 
a very perilous mission was assigned him and ac- 
cepted, which others had refused. This was to pro- 
ceed to the French post near Lake Erie in North- 
western Pennsylvania. The distance to be traversed 
was between 500 and 600 miles. Winter was at hand, 
and the journey was to be made without military 
escort, through a territory occupied by Indians. The 



9 

A 



¥, 






(^ 



-5M 



1:^:1 




|)$«^r|«»- 



i>:i 



GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



4^^5(<§VM; 



xV trip was a perilous one, and several limes he came near 
/,. losing his life, yet he returned in safety and furnished 
'^ a full and useful report of his expedition. A regiment 
*& of 300 men was raised in Virginia and put in com- 
I mand of Col. Joshua Fry, and Major Washington was 
-*) commissioned lieutenant-colonel. Active war was 
^^ then begun against the French and Indians, in which 
Washington took a most important part. In the 
memorable event of July 9, 1755, known as Brad- 
dock's defeat, Washington was almost the only officer 
of distinctiof. who escaped from the calamities of the 
day with hfe and honor. The other aids of Hraddock 
were disabled early in the action, and Wasliington 
alone was left in that capacity on the field. In a letter 
to his brother he says : " 1 had four bullets through 
my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet I escaped 
unhurt, though death was levelin- my companions 
on every side." An Indian sharpshooter said he was 
not born to be killed by a bullet, for he had taken 
direct aim at him seventeen times, and failed to hit 
him. 

After having been five years in the military service, 
-) and vainly sought promotion in the royal army, he 
took advantage of the fall of Fort Duqr.esnc and the 
expulsion of the French from the valley of the Ohio, 
^ to resign his commission. Soon after he entered the 
■^ Legislature, where, although not a leader, he took an 
vx active and innwrtant part. January 17, 1759, he 
„ married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Custis, the wealthy 
== widow of John Parke Custis. 

When the British Parliament had closed the jxart 
of Boston, the cry went up throughout the provinces 
that "The cause of Boston is the cause of us all." 
It was then, at the suggestion of Virginia, that a Con- 
gress of all the colonies was called to meet at Phila- 
delphia.Sept. 5, 1774, tosecure their common liberties, 
peaceably if [wssible. To this Congress Col. Wash- 
ington was sent as a delegate. On May 10, 1775, the 
Congress re-assembled, when the hostile intentions of 
England were plainly apparent. The battles of Con- 
cord and Le.xington had been fought, .\mong the 
first acts of this Congress was the election of a com- 
mander-in-chief of the colonial forces. This high and 
responsible office was conferred ujion Washington, 
who was still a member of the Congress. He accepted 
it on June 19, but uixm the express condition that he 
receive no salary. He would keep an exact account 
of expenses and expect Congress 10 pay them and 
nothing more. It is not the object of this sketch to 
trace the military acts of Washington, to whom the 
X fortunes and liberties of the people of this country 
[ were so long confided. The war was conducted by 
.-% him under every jKassible disadvantage, and while his 
'% forces often met with reverses, yet he overcame every 
(f obstacle, and after seven years of heroic devotion 
^ and matchless skill he gained liberty for the greatest 
,i' nation of earth. On Dec. 23, 17S3, Washington, in 
^ a parting address of surpassing beautv, resigned his 



V 

V') 



1^ 



commission as commander-in-chief of the army to 
to the Continental Congress sitting at Annajxjlis. He 
retired immediately to Mount \ernon and resumed 
his occupation as a farmer and planter, shunning all 
connection with public life. 

In February, 1789, Washington was unanimously 
elected President. In iiis presidential career ht was 
subject to the peculiar trials incidental to a new 
government ; trials from lack of confidence on the pari 
of other governments; trials from want ol harmony 
between the different sections of our own country; 
trials from the imiwverished condition of the country, 
owing to the war and want of credit; trials from the 
beginnings of party strife. He was no partisan. His 
clear judgment could discern the golden mean ; and 
while perhaps this alone kept our government from 
sinking at the very outset, it left him exixjsed to 
attacks from both sides, which were often bitter and 
very annoying. 

-At the expiration of his first term he was unani- 
mously re-elected. At the end of this term many 
were anxious that he be re-elected, but he absolutely 
refused a third nomination. On the fourth of March, 
1797, at the expiraton of his second term as Presi- 
dent, he returned to his home, hoping to pass there 
his few remaining years free from the annoyances of 
public life. Later in the year, however, his reix)se 
seemed likely to be interrupted by war with France. 
.\t the prospect of such a war he was again urged to 
take command of the armies. He chose his sub- 
ordinate officers and left to them the charge of mat- 
ters in the field, which he superintended from his 
home. In accepting the comm.ind he made the 
reservation that he was not to be in the field until 
it was necessary. In the midst of these preparations 
his life was suddenly cut off. December 1 2, he took 
a severe cold from a ride in the rain, which, settling 
in his throat, produced inflammation, and terminated 
fatally on the night of the fourteenth. On the eigh- 
teenth his body was borne wiih military honors to its 
final resting place, and interred in the family vault at 
Mount Vernon. 

Of the character of Washington it is inijxjssible to 
speak but in terms of the highest respect and ad- 
miration. The more we see of the operations of 
our government, and the more deeply we feel the 
difficulty of uniting all opinions in a common interest, 
the more highly we must estimate the force of his tal- 
ent and character, which have been able to challenge 
the reverence of all parties, and principles, and na- 
tions, and to win a fame as extended as the limits 
of the globe, and which we cannot hut believe will 
be as lasting as the existence of man. 

The person of Washington was unusally tall, erect 
and well proportioned. His muscular strength was 
great. His features were of a beautiful symmetry. 
He commanded respect without any appearance of 
haughtiness, and ever serious without being dull. 






^• 






(^ 



im\^^^^-^ 



■^m%m<^^^ — ^^ 



-4^^5^y^^ 





imi4 



^ 



i 




^myM^>T 



>lf^jX!rt-« 



4^^K^4li 



SECOND PRESIDENT. 




'feri£ia»^ 



)»» 



;'^vT*'r+-*'*l?*-r*"*vrif**.i'*TT"+'T- 



.^g-liAi at S 













\9 ■■^*' 



V^ 



OHN ADAMS, the second 
_, Piesideiit and the first Vice- 
v>j' President of the United States, 
\vis> born in Braintree ( now 
Quincy ),Mass., and about ten 
miles from Boston, Oct. 19, 
" fi >r g. 1735 His great-grandfatlier, Henry 
''' Adams, emigrated from England 

about 1640, with a family of eight 
sons, and settled at Braintree. The 
parents of John were John and 
Susannah (Boylston) .Adams. His 
father was a farmer of limited 
means, to which he added the bus- 
iness of shoemaking. He gave his 
eldest son, John, a classical educa- 
■ tion at Harvard College. John 

graduated in 1755, and at once took charge of the 
school in Worcester, Mass. This he found but a 
"school of affliction," from which he endeavored to 
gain relief by devoting himself, in addition, to the 
study of law. For this purjxjse he placed himself 
under the tuition of the only lawyer in the town. He 
had tliought seriously of the clerical profession 
but seems to have been turned from this by what he 
termed " the frightful engines of ecclesiastical coun- 
cils, of diabolical malice, and Calvanistic good nature,'" 
of the operations of which he had been a witness in 
his native town. He was well fitted for the legal 
profession, jxissessing a clear, sonorous voice, being 
ready and fluent of s|>eech, and having quick percep- 
tive ixjwers. He gradually gained practice, and in 
1764 married .Abigail Smith, a daughter of a minister, 
and a lady of superior intelligence. Shortly after his 
marriage, (1765), the attempt of Parliamentary taxa- 
tion turned him from law to politics. He took initial 
steps toward holding a town meeting, and the resolu- 



tions he offered on the subject became very jxjpular 
throughout the Province, and were adopted word for 
word by over forty different towns. He moved to Bos- 
ton in 1768, and became one of the most courageous 
and prominent advocatesof the jxjpular cause, and 
was chosen a member of the General Court (the Leg- 
lislature) in 1770. 

Mr. Adams was chosen one of the first delegates 
from Massachusetts to the first Continental Congre&s, 
which ir.et in 1774. Here he distinguished himself 
by his capacity for business and for debate, and ad- 
vocated the movement for independence against the 
majority of the members. In May, 1776, he moved 
and carried a resolution in Congress that the Colonies 
should assume liie duties of self-government. He 
was a prominent member of the committee of five 
apixjinted June 11, to prepare a declaration of inde- 
pendence. This article was drawn by Jefferson, but 
on Adams devolved the task of battling it through 
Congress in a three days debate. 

On the day after the Declaration of Independence 
was passed, while his soul was yet warm with the 
glow of excitetl feeling, he wrote a letter to his wife, 
which, as we read it now, seems to have been dictated 
by the si)irit of prophecy. "Yesterday," he says, "the 
greatest question was decided that ever was debated 
in .Anierica; and greater, perhaps, never was or will 
be decided among men. \ resolution was passed 
without one dissenting colony, ' that these United 
States are, and of right ought to be, free and inde- 
pendent states.' The day is passed. The fourth of 
July, 1776. will be a memorable epoch in the historj' 
of America. I am a])t to believe it will be celebrated 
by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary 
festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of 
deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to .Almighty 
Ciod. It ought to be solemnized with jxjmp, shows. 






c^: 



( '' 



(^ 



m 




^^^ 



r^^K eV<>Il !] >: n ^'i>^ :2<€^^ 



/OJ^JV ABAMS. 



v> games, siMrts, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations 
fU from one end of the continent to the other, from this 
W^ time forward for ever. You will think me transported 
«* with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of 
I the toil, and blood and treasure, that it will cost to 
(^j maintain this declaration, and support and defend 
these States; yet, through all the gloom, I can see the 
rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is 
worth more than all the means; and that posterity 
will triumph, although you and I may rue, which I 
hope we shall not." 

In November, 1777, Mr. Adams was ajipointed a 
delegate to France and to co-operate with Bemjamin 
Franklin and Arthur Lee, who were then in Paris, in 
the endeavor to obtain assistance in arms and money 
from the French Government. This was a severe trial 
to his patriotism, as it separated him from his home, 
compelled him to cross the ocean in winter, and ex- 
posed him to great peril of capture by the British cruis- 
ers, who were seeking him. He left France June 17, 
1779. In September of the same year he was again 
chosen to go to Paris, and there hold himself in readi- 
ness to negotiate a treaty of peace and of commerce 
with Great Britian, as soon as the British Cabinet 
might be found willing to listen to such projxjsels. He 
^^ sailed for France in November, from there he went to 
Holland, where he negotiated important loans and 
formed important commercial treaties 

Finally a treaty of peace with England was signed 
Jan. 21, 1783. The re-action from the excitement, 
toil and anxiety through which Mr. Adams had passed 
threw him into a fever. After suffering from a con- 
tinued fever and becoming feeble and emaciated he 
was advised to go to England to drink the waters of 
Bath. While in England, still drooping and despond- 
ing, he received dispatches from his own government 
urging the necessity of his going to Amsterdam to 
negotiate another loan. It was winter, his health was 
delicate, yet he immediately set out, and through 
storm, on sea, on horseback and foot, he made the trip. 
February 24, 1785, Congress appointed Mr. Adams 
envoy to the Court of St. James. Here he met face 
to face the King of England, who had so long re- 
garded him as a traitor. As England did not 
condescend to apixaint a minister to the United 
States, and as Mr. .Adams felt that he was accom- 
plishing but little, he sought permission to return to 
his own country, where he arrived in June, 1788. 

When Washington was first chosen President, John 
Adams, rendered illustiious by his signal services at 
home and abroad, was chosen Vice President, .\gain 
at the second election of Washington as President, 
Adams was chosen Vice President. In 1796, Wash- 
ington retired from public life, and Mr. Adams was 
elected President, though not without much opposition. 
Serving in this office four years,he was succeeded by 
.Mr. Jefferson, his opponent in politics. 

While Mr, .Adams was Vice President the areat 



;a; 



V 



m 




French Revolution shook the continent of Europe, 
and it was upon this point whicii he was at issue with 
the majority of his countrymen led by Mr. Jeflerson. 
Mr. Adams felt no sympathy with the French people 
in tiieir struggle, for he had no confidence in their 
power of self-government, and he utterly abhored the 
class of atheist i)hilosophers wlio he claimed caused it. 
On the other hand Jefferson's sympathies were strongly 
enlisted in behalf of the French people. Hence or- 
iginated the alienation between these distinguished 
men, and two powerful parties were thus soon organ- 
ized, Adams at the head of the one whose sympathies 
were with England and Jefferson led the other in 
sympathy with France. 

The world has seldom seen a spectacle of more 
moral beauty and grandeur, than was presented by the 
old age of Mr. Adams. The violence of party feeling 
had died away, and he had liegun to receive that just 
appreciation which, to most men, is not accorded till 
after death. No one could look upon his venerable 
form, and think of what he had done and suffered, 
and how he had given up all the prime and strength 
of his life to the piihhc good, without the deepest 
emotion of gratitude and respect. It was his |)eculiar 
good fortune to witness the complete success of the 
institution which lie had been so active in creating and 
supporting. In 1824, his cup of happiness was filled 
to the brim, by seeing his son elevated to the highest 
station in the gift of the people. 

The fourth of July, 1826, which completed the half 
century since the signing of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, arrived, and there were but three of the 
signers of that immortal instrument left ujxin the 
earth to hail its morning light. And, as it is 
well known, on that day two of these finished their 
earthly pilgrimage, a coincidence so remarkable as 
to seem miraculous. For a few days before Mr. 
Adams had been rapidly failing, and on the morning 
of the fourth he found himself too weak to rise from 
his l>ed. On being requested to name a toast for the 
customary celebration of the day, he exclaimed " In- 
dependence FOREVER." When the day was ushered 
in, by the ringing of bells and the firing of cannons, 
he was asked by one of his attendants if he knew 
what day it was? He replied, "O yes; it is the glor- 
ious fourth of July — God bless it — God bless you all." 
In the course of the day he said, "It is a great and 
glorious day." The last words he uttered were, 
"Jefferson survives." But he had, at one o'clock, re- 
signed his spirit into the hands of his God. 

The jjcrsonal appearance and manners of Mr. 
Adams were not particularly prepossessing. His face, 
as his ])ortrait manifests,w:is intellectual ard ex]ires- 
sive, but his figure was low and ungraceful, and his 
manners were frequently abrupt and uncourteous. 
He had neither the loftv dignity of Washington, nor 
the engaging elegance and gracefulness which marked 
the manners and address of Jefferson 



i 

% 



(?. 



p|y\«))«^^fi- ^^^f^ — ^-^^mi^iini^^ — "^"^f^ -4^^^C(®>§ 




:« 



V 








H(3MAS JEFFERSON was 
born April 2, 1743, at Shad- 
pwell, Albermarle county, Va. 
His parents were Peter and 
Jane ( Randolph) Jefferson, 
the former a native of Wales, 
and the latter born in Lon- 
don. To them were born six 
daughters and two sons, of 
whom Thomas was the elder. 
When 14 years of age his 
father died. He received a 
most liberal education, hav- 
ing been kept diligently at school 
from the time he was five years of 
age. In 1760 he entered William 
and Mary College. Williamsburg was then the seat 
of the Colonial Court, and it was the obode of fashion 
and splendor. Young Jefferson, who was then 17 
years old, lived somewhat expensively, keeping fine 
horses, and much caressed by gay society, yet he 
was earnestly devoted to his studies, and irreproacha- 
able in his morals. It is strange, however, under 
such influences,that he was not ruined. In the sec- 
ond year of his college course, moved by some un- 
explained inward impulse, he discarded his horses, 
society, and even his favorite violin, to which he had 
previously given much time. He often devoted fifteen 
hours a day to haid study, allowing himself for ex- 
ercise only a run in the evening twilight of a mile out 
of the city and back again. He thus attained very 
^ high intellectual culture, alike excellence in philoso- 
■^^ phy and the languages. The most difficult Latin and 
v^ Greek authors he read with facility. A inore finished 
/:_ scholar has seldom gone forth from college halls; and 



^ 

] 



there was not to be found, perhaps, in all Virginia, a 
more pureiuinded, upright, gentlemanly young man. 

Immediately upon leaving college he began the 
study of law. For the short time lie continued in the 
)ractice of his profession he rose ra[)idly and distin- 
guished himself by his energy and accuteness as a 
lawyer. But the times called for greater action. 
The policy of England had awakened the spirit of 
resistance of the American Colonies, and the enlarged 
views which Jefferson had ever entertained, soon led 
liim into active political life. In 1769 he was chosen 
a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. In 
1772 he married Mrs. Martha .Skelton, a very beauti- 
ful, wealthy and highly accom[)lished young widow. 

Upon Mr. Jefferson's large estate at Shadwell, tliere 
was a majestic swell of land, called Monticello, wliich 
commanded a prospect of wonderful extent and 
beauty. This spot Mr. Jefferson selected lor his new 
home; and here he reared a mansion of modest yet 
elegant architecture, which, next to Mount Vernon, 
became the most distinguished resort in our land. 

In 1775 he was sent to the Colonial Congress, 
where, though a silent member, his abilities as a 
writer and a reasoner soon become known, and he 
was placed n\K)n a number of important committees, 
and was chairman of the one appointed for the draw- 
ing up of a declaration of independence. This com- 
mittee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John .Xdams, 
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. 
Livingston. Jefferson, as chairman, was apiKjinted 
to draw up the paper. Franklin and Adams suggested 
a few verbal changes before it was sul)mitted to Con- 
gress. On June 28, a few slight changes were made 
in it by Congress, and it was passed and signed July 
4, 1776. Wliat must have been the feelings of that 



A 



ca: 






f&) 



B 



m 



28 



THOMAS JEFFERSON. 



-^#^5f(®^X:^): 



t 



A 



S 
f 



man — what the emotions that swelled his breast — 
who was charged with the preparation of that Dec- 
laration, which, while it made known the wrongs of 
America, .vas also to publish her to tlie world, free, 
soverign and independent. It is one of the most re- 
markable papers ever written ; and did no other effort 
of the mind of its author exist, that alone would be 
sufficient to stamp his name with innnortality. 

In 1779 Mr. Jefferson was elected successor to 
Patrick Henry, as Governor of Virginia. At one time 
the British officer, Tarleton, sent a secret expedition to 
Monticello, to capture the Governor. Scarcely five 
minutes elapsed after the hurried escape of Mr. Jef- 
ferson and his family, ere his mansion was in posses- 
sion of the British troops. His wife's health, never 
very good, was much injured by this excitement, and 
in the summer of 1782 she died. 

Mr. Jefferson was elected to Congress in 1783. 
Two years later he was appointed Minister Plenipo- 
tentiary to France. Returning to the United States 
in September, 1789, he became Secretary of State 
in Washington's cabinet. This position he resigned 
Jan. r, 1794. In 1797, he was chosen Vice Presi- 
dent, and four years later was elected President over 
Mr. Adams, with Aaron Burr as Vice President. In 
1804 he was re-elected with wonderful unanimity. 
and George Clinton, Vice President. 

The early part of Mr. Jefferson's second adminstra- 
tion was disturbed by an event wliich threatened the 
tranquility and peace of the Uniot; ; this was tiie con- 
spiracy of Aaron Burr. Defeated in the late election 
to the Vice Presidency, and led on by an unprincipled 
ambition, this extraordinary man formed the plan of a 
military expedition into the Spanish territories on our 
southwestern frontier, for the purixjse of forming there 
a new republic. This has been generally supposed 
was a mere pretext ; and although it has not been 
generally known what his real plans were, there is no 
doubt that they were of a f:ir more dangerous 
character. 

In 1809, at the expiration of the second term for 
which Mr. Jefferson had been elected, he determined 
to retir* from political life. For a period of nearly 
forty years, he had been continually before the jiub- 
fic, and all that time had been employed in offices of 
the greatest trust and responsibility. Having thus de- 
voted the best part of his life to tiie service of his 
country, he now felt desirous of that rest which his 
declining years required, and upon the organization of 
the new administration, in March, 1809, he bid fare- 
well forever to public life, and retired to Monticello. 

Mr. Jefferson was profuse in his hospitality. Whole 
families came in their coaches with their horses, — 
fathers and mothers, boys and girls, babies and 
nurses, — and remained three and even six months. 
Life at Monticello, for years, resembled that at a 
fashionable watering-place. 

The fourth of July, 1826, l)eing the fiftieth anniver- 



)5€^^ 



sary of the Declaration of American Independence, 

great preparations were made in every part of the 
Union for its celebration, as the nation's jubilee, and 
the citizens of Washington, to add to the solemnity 
of the occasion, invited Mr. Jefferson, as the framer, 
and one of the few surviving signers of the Declara- 
tion, to participate in their festivities. But an ill- 
ness, wiiich had been of several weeks duration, and 
had been continually increasing, compelled liim to 
decline the invitation. 

On the second of July, the disease under which 
he was laboring left liim, but in such a reduced 
state that his medical attendants, entertained no 
hope of his recovery. From this time he was perfectly 
sensible that his last hour was at hand. On the next 
day, which was Monday, he asked of those around 
him, the day of the month, and on being told it was 
the third of July, he expressed the earnest wish that 
he might be permitted lo breathe the airof the fiftieth 
anniversary. His prayer was heard — that day, whose 
dawn was hailed with such rapture through our land, 
burst upon his eyes, and then they were closed for- 
ever. And what a noble consummation of a noble 
life ! To die on that day, — the birthday of a nation,- - 
the day which his own name and his own act had 
rendered glorious; to die amidst the rejoicings and 
festivities of a whole nation, who looked up to him, 
as the author, under God, of their greatest blessings, 
was all that was wanting to fill up the record his life. 

Almost at the same hour of his death, the kin- 
dred spirit of the venerable Adams, as if to bear 
him company, left the scene of his earthly honors. 
Hand in hand they had stood forth, the champions of 
freedom ; hand in hand, during the dark and desper- 
ate struggle of the Revolution, they had cheered and 
animated their desponding countrymen; for half a 
century they had labored together for the good of 
the country; and now hand in hand they depart. 
In their lives they had been united in the same great 
cause of liberty, and in tlieir deaths they were not 
divided. 

In person Mr. Jefferson was tall and thin, rather 
above six feet in height, but well formed; his eyes 
were light, his hair originally red, in after life became 
white and silvery; his complexion was fair, his fore 
head broad, and his whole countenance intelligent and 
thoughtful. He possessed great fortitude of mind as 
well us personal courage ; and his command of tem- 
per was such that his oldest and most intimate friends 
never recollected to have seen him in a passion. 
His manners, though dignified, were simple and un- 
affected, and his hospitality was so unbounded that 
all found at his house a ready welcome. In conver- 
sation he was fluent, eloquent and enthusiastic; and 
his language was remarkably pure and correct. He 
was a finished classical scholar, and in his wriringsis 
discernable the care with which he formed his style 
upon the best models of antiquity. 



k 



i 
1 






f> 




/^^c^:^-^ -c-^g^Mii^ 0^1^ 



I^^7^^)«^#« ^^^^^ 



FOURTH PRI'SIDENT. 



^ 

] 
V* 



t 




pn]ES n]7iDisoi] 






:-<e 



V 

1) 



AM?:S MADISON, "Father 
of the Constitution," and fourth 
President of the United States, 
was l)orn Manh i 6, 1757, and 
died at his home in Virginia, 
June 28, 1836. 'l"he name of 
James Madison is inseparably con- 
nected with most of tlie important 
events in that heroic period of our 
J, country during which the founda- 
tions of this great repubHc were 
aid. He was the hist of the founders 
of the Constitution of the United 
States to lie called to his eternal 
reward. 

The Madison family were among 
the early emigrants to the New World, 
landing upon the shores of the Chesa- 
peake l)ul 15 years after the settle- 
ment of Jamestown. The father of 
lames Madison was an opulent 
planter, residing upon a very fine es- 
tate called "Montjielier," Orange C'o., 
Va. The mansion was situated in 
the niiclst of scenery highly pictur- 
esque and romantic, on the west side 
of South-west Mountain, at the foot of 
Blue Ridge. It was but 25 miles from the home of 
Jefferson at Monticello. The closest jjersonal and 
political attachment existed between these illustrious 
men, from their early youth until death. 

The early education of Mr. Madison was conducted 
mostly at home under a private tutor. At the age of 
18 he was sent to Princeton College, in New Jersey. 
Here he applied himself to study with the most im- 






prudent zeal; allowing himself, for months, but three 
hours' sleep out of the 24. His health thus became so 
seriously impaired that he never recovered any vigor 
of constitution. He graduated in 177 i, with a feeble 
body, with a character of utmost purity, and with a 
mind highly discii)lined and richly stored with learning 
which embellished and gave proficiency to his subse- 
quent career. 

Returning to Virginia, he commenced the study of 
law and a course of extensive and systematic reading. 
This educational course, the spirit of the times in 
which he lived, and the society with which he asso- 
ciated, all combined to inspire him with a strong 
love of liberty, and to train him for his life-work of 
a statesman. Being naturally of a religious turn of 
mind, and his frail health leading him to think that 
his life was not to be long, he directed especial atten- 
tion to theological studies. Endowed with a nnnd 
singularly free from passion and prejudice, and with 
almo.:t uneipialled powers of reasoning, he weighed 
all the arguments for and against revealed religion, 
until his faith became so established as never to 
be shaken. 

In tiie spring of 1776, when 26 years of age, he 
was elected a member of the Virginia Convention, to 
frame the constitution of the State. The next year 
(1777), he was a candidate for the General .Assembly. 
He refused to treat the whisky-lovir.g voters, and 
consequently lost his election ; but those who had 
witnessed the talent, energy and public spirit of the 
modest young man, enlisted themselves in his behalf, 
and he was a|ipointed to the E.\eculive Council. 

Both Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were 
Governors of Virginia while Mr. Madison remained 
member of the Council ; and their appreciation of his 









¥, 






(S) 




}^^ 



v 



1 



JAMES MADISON. 



t 



intellectual, social and moral worth, contributed not 
a little to his subsequent eminence. In the year 
1780, he was elected a member of the Continental 
C'ongress. Here lie met the most illustrious men in 
our land, and he was immediately assigned to one of 
the most conspicuous jwsitions among them. 

For three years Mr. Madison continued in Con- 
gress, one of its most active and influential members. 
In the year 1784, his term having e.xpired, he was 
elected a member of the Virginia Legislature. 

No man felt more deeply than Mr. Madison the 
utter inefficiency of the old confederacy, with no na- 
tional government, with no power to form treaties 
which would be binding, or to enforce law. There 
was not any State more prominent than Virginia in 
the declaration, that an efficient national government 
must be formed. In January, 1786, Mr. Madison 
carried a resolution through the Ceneral Assembly of 
Virginia, inviting the other States to appoint commis- 
sioners to meet in convention at Annapolis to discuss 
this subject. Five States only were represented. The 
convention, however, issued another call, drawn up 
by Mr. Madison, urging all the States to send their 
delegates to Philadelphia, in May, 1787, to draft 
a Constitution for the United States, to take the place 
of that Confederate League. The delegates met at 
the time appointed. Every State but Rhode Island 
was represented. George Washington vk'as chosen 
president of the convention; and the present Consti- 
tution of the United States was then and there formed. 
There was, perhaps, no mind and no pen more ac- 
tive in framing this immortal document than the mind 
and the pen of James Madison. 

The Constitution, adopted by a vote 81 to 79, was 
to be presented to the several States for acceptance. 
But grave solicitude was felt. Should it be rejected 
we should be left but a conglomeration of independent 
States, with but little power at home and little respect 
abroad. Mr. Madison was selected by the conven- 
tion to draw up an address to the people of the United 
States, expounding the principles of the Constitution, 
and urging its adoption. There was great ojiposition 
to it at first, but it at length triumphed over all, and 
went into effect in 1789. 

Mr. Madison was elected to the House of Repre- 
sentatives in the first Congress, and soon became the 
avowed leader of the Republican party. While in 
New York attending Congress, he met Mrs. Todd, a 
young widow of remarkable ]X)wer of fascination, 
whom he married. She was in person and character 
fpieenly, and probably no lady has thus far occujMed 
so prominent a position in the very peculiar society 
which has constituted our republican court as Mrs. 
Madison. 

Mr. Madison served as Secretary of State under 
Jefferson, and at the close of his administration 
was chosen President. At this time the encroach- 
ments of England had brought us to the verge of war. 




British orders in council destioyed our commerce, and 
our flag was exposed to constant insult. Mr. Madison 
was a man of peace. Scholarly in his taste, retiring 
in his disposition, war had no charms for him. But the 
meekest spirit can be roused. It makes one's blood 
boil, even now, to think of an American ship brought 
to, upon the ocean, by the guns of an English cruiser. 
A young lieutenant steps on board and orders the 
crew to be paraded before him. With great nonchal- 
ance he selects any number whom he may please to 
designate as British subjects ; orders them down the 
ship's side into his boat; and places them on the gun- 
deck of his man-of-war, to fight, by compulsion, the 
battles of England. This right of search and im- 
pressment, no efforts of our Government could induce 
the British cabinet to relinquish. 

On the i8th of June, 1812, President Madison gave 
his approval to an act of Congress declaring war 
against Great Britain. Notwithstanding the bitter 
hostility of the Federal party to the war, the country 
in general approved; and Mr. Madison, on the 4th 
of March, 1813, was re-elected by a large majority, 
and entered u[ion his second term of office. This is 
not the place to describe the various adventures of 
this war on the land and on the water. Our infant 
navy then laid the foundations of its renown in grap- 
pling with the most formidable power which ever 
swept the seas. The contest commenced in earnest 
by the appearance of a British flett, early in February, 
18 13, in Chesapeake Bay, declaring nearly the whole 
coast of the United States under blockade. 

The Emperor of Russia offered his services as me 
ditator. America accepted ; England refused. A Brit- 
ish force of five thousand men landed on the banks 
ofthePatuxet River, near its entrance into Chesa- 
peake Bay, and marched rapidly, by way of Bladens- 
burg, upon Washington. 

The straggling little city of Washington was thrown 
into consternation. 'I'he cannon of the brief conflict 
at Bladensburg echoed through the streets of the 
metropolis. The whole population fled from the city. 
The President, leaving Mrs. Madison in the White 
House, with her carriage drawn up at the door to 
await his speedy return, hurried to meet the officers 
in a council of war. He met our troops utterly routed, 
and he could not go back without danger of being 
captured. But few hours elapsed ere the Presidential 
Mansion, the Capitol, and all the public buildings in 
Washington were in flames. 

The war closed after two years of fighting, and on 
Fell. 13, i8i5,the treaty of peace was signed at Ghent. 

On the 4tli of March, 1817, his second term of 
office expired, and lie resigned the Presidential chair 
to his friend, James Monroe. He retired to his beau- 
tiful home at Montpelier, and there passed the re- 
mainder of his days. On June 28, 1836, then at the 
age of 85 years, he fell asleep in death. Mrs. Madi- 
son died July 12, 1849. 



^5 



V 



\ 



"^ 
A 



V 



r 



)«^^ 



.:s^^^jc: %:^\ 



r>>A^ 



•4y^fc* 



r 

i 



■^' 




^^^^^^2^^^2-t^^ /^^-i^£^-e^^>^-C^^^ 







AMKS MONROE, the fifth 
^^.Presidcntof The United States, 
was born in Westmoreland Co.. 
Va., April 28, 1758. His early 
life was passed at the place of 
nativity. His ancestors had for 
many years resided in the prov- 
mce in which he was born. When, 
at 17 years of age, in the process 
of completing his education at 
William and Mary College, the Co- 
lonial Congress assembled at Phila- 
delphia to deliberate upon the un- 
just and manifold oppressions of 
(ireat Britian, declared the separa- 
tion of the Colonies, and promul- 
gated the Declaration of Inde])en- 
'dence. Had he been born ten years before it is highly 
probable that he would have been one of the signers 
of that celebrated instrument. At this time he left 
school and enlisted amoi;g the patriots. 

He joined the army when everything looked hope- 
less and gloomy. The number of deserters increased 
from day to day. The invading armies came |)ouring 
in ; and the tories not only favored the cause of the 
mother country, but disheartened the new recruits, 
who were sufficiently terrified at the prospect of con- 
tending with an enemy whom they had been taught 
to deem invincible. To such brave spirits as James 
Monroe, who went right onward, undismayed through 
difficulty and danger, the United States owe their 
political emancipation. The young cadet joined the 
ranks, and es|X)used the cause of his injured country, 
with a firm determination to live or die with her strife 



A 



^: 






.i))«^l* 



for liberty. Firmly yet sadly he shared in the mel- 
ancholy retreat from Harleam Heights and White 
Plains, and accompanied the dispirited army as it fled 
before its foes through New Jersey. In four months 
after the Declaration of Independence, the patriots 
Jiad been beaten in seven battles. At the battle of 
Trenton he led the vanguard, and, in the act of charg- 
ing upon the enemy he received a wound in the left 
shoulder. 

As a reward for his bravery, Mr. Monroe was ])ro- 
moted a captain of infantry ; and, having recovered 
from his wound, he rejoined the army. He, however, 
receded from the line of promotion, by becoming an 
officer in the staff of Lord Sterling. During the cam- 
paigns of 1777 and 1778, in the actions of Brandy- 
wine, Germantown and Monmouth, he continued 
aid-de-camp; but becoming desirous to regain his 
position in the army, he exerted himself to collect a 
regiment for the Virginia line. This scheme failed 
owing to the exhausted condition of the State. Upon 
this failure he entered the office of Mr. Jefferson, at 
that period Governor, and pursued, with considerable ^ 
ardor, the study of common law. He did not, however, 
entirely lay aside the knapsack for the green bag; 
but on the invasions of the enemy, served as a volun- 
teer, during the two years of his legal pursuits. 

In 1782, he was elected from King George county, 
a member of the Leglislature of Virginia, and by that 
body he was elevated to a seat in the Executive 
Council. He was thus honored with the confidence 
of his fellow citizens at 23 years of age ; and having 
at this early period displayed some of that ability 
and aptitude for legislation, which were afterwards T 
employed with unremitting energy for the public good, ^ 






^»^f^ — ^-^^n I) :< iiiii>ve^ 



4^^ 






■^2*^^^: o-v<-^ 



JAMES MONROE. 



^4^^$ 









V 



^ 






^ 



he was in the succeeding year chosen a member of 
the Congress of the Uniied States. 

Decplyas Mr. Monroet'cll the iniperfoi tionsof thcold 
('onfederacy, lie was opiiused to llie new Constitution, 
thinking, with many others of the Reimhlican party, 
that it gave loo nuicli jxawcr to the Central Government, 
and not enough to tlie individual States. Still he re- 
tained the esteem of his friends who were its warm 
supporters, and who, notwithstanding his opposition 
secured its ado|ition. In 17S9, he became a member 
of the United States Senate; which office he held for 
four years. Every month the line of distinction be- 
tween the two great parlies wiiidi ilivided the nation, 
the Federal aiul llie Kcpiibliian, was growing more 
distinct. The two prominent ide.is which now sep- 
arated them were, that the Republican party was in 
sympathy with France, and also in favor of such a 
strict construction of tlie Constitution as to give the 
Central Ciovernment as little power, and tlie State 
(iovernmentsas much iHjwer, as the Constitution would 
warrant. The Federalists sympathized with F^ngland, 
and were in favor of a liberal construction of the Con- 
stitution, which wt)uld give as much jwwer to the 
Central Ciovernment as that document could possibly 
authorize. 

The leading Federalists and l<.ei>ul)licans were 
alike noble men, consecrating all their energies to the 
good of the nation. Two more honest men or more 
pure patriots than John Adams the F'ederalist, and 
James Monroe the Republican, never breathed. In 
building up this majestic nation, which is destined 
to eclipse alUirecian and.\ssyrian greatness, the com- 
bination of their antagonism was needed to create the 
light eipiilibriuni. .\nd yet each in his day was de- 
nounced as almost a tlenion. 

Washington was then President. F^ngl.ind ii.ul es- 
poused the cause of the Hourbons against the princi- 
ples of the F'rench Revolution. k\\ Kurope was drawn 
into the conllict. We were feeble and far away. 
Washington issued a i)roclamation of neutrality be- 
tween these contending powers. l'"rance had helped 
us in the struggle for our liberties. .Ml the despotisms 
of Europe were now comliinedto prevent the French 
from escaping from a tyranny a thousand-fold worse 
than that which we had endured Col. Monroe, more 
magnanimous than prudent, was anxious that, at 
whatever h.izard, we shoidd help our old allies in 
their extremity. It was the impulse of a generous 
and noble nature. He violently opposed tlie Pres- 
ident's proclamation as ungrateful and wanting in 
magnanimity. 

Washington, who could apnreci.ite such a character, 
developed his i aim, serene, almost divine greatness, 
by appointing tliat very lames Monroe, who was de- 
nouncing the ixilicy of the Ciovernment, as the minister 
of that Government to the Republic of France, ^fr. 
Monroe was welcomed by the National Convention 
i 1 France with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. 

5- ^^^^ ^J<-^[ 



Shortly after his return to this comitry, Mr. Mon- 
roe was elected C.overnor of Virginia, and held the 
ortice for three yeais. He was again sent to France to 
co-ojierate with Chancellor Livingston in obtaining 
the vast territory then known as the Province of 
Louisiana, which F" ranee had but shortly before ob- 
tained from Spain. Their united efforts were suc- 
cessful. For tlie comparatively small sum of fifteen 
millions of doll.irs, tlie entire territory of Orleans and 
district of Louisiana were added to tlie United States. 
This was probably the largest transfer of real estate 
which was ever made in all the history of the world. 

Yxowx F'rance Mr. Monroe went to F-ngland to ob- 
tain from that country some recognition of our 
rights as neutrals, and to remonstrate against those 
odious im[)ressments of our seamen. but F"ng- 
land was unrelenting. He again returned to F'.ng- 
land on the same mission, but could receive no 
redress. He returnetl to his home and was again 
chosen Ciovernor of \'irgiiiia. This he soon resigned 
to accept the position of Secretary of State under 
M;idison. While in this office war with England was 
declared, the Secretary of War resigned, and during 
these trying times, the duties of the \\'ar Department 
were also put upon him. He was truly the armor- 
bearer of President Madison, and the most efficient 
business man in his cabinet. Cikui the return of 
peace he resigned the Department of War, but con- 
tinued in the office of Secretary of State until the e.\- 
piration of Mr. Madison's adminstration. \\. the elec- 
tion held the previous autumn Mr. .Monroe himself had 
been chosen President with but little opposition, and 
u|)on March 4, 1817, was inaugurated. Four years 
later he was elected for a second term. 

.\mong the important measures of his Presidency 
were the cession of Florida to the United States; the 
Missouri t'omiiromise, and the " Monroe doctrine.'* 

This famous doctrine, since known as the " Monroe 
doctrine," was enunciated by him in 1813. .-^t that 
time the United States had recognized the independ- 
ence of the .South American states, ami did not wish 
to have F-uropean powers longer attempting to sub- 
due iwrtions of the .American Continent. The doctrine 
is as follows: "That we shouUl lonsider anyalteni])! 
on the part of I",uropean (wwers to extend their sys- 
tem to any portion t)f this hemisphere as dangerous 
to our peace and safety." and "that we could not 
view any interposition for the purjiose of oppressing 
or controlling .American governments or provinces in 
any other light than as a manifestatimi by European 
liowers of an unfriendly disjiosition toward the United 
States." This doctrine immediately affected the course 
of foreign governments, and has become the approved 
sentiment of the United States. 

At the end of his fecond term Mr. Monroe retired 
to his home in Virginia, where he lived until 1830. 
when he went to New York to live with his son-in- 
law. In that city he died, on the 4th of July, 1831. 




V 



A 



A 



^>: 



r 






1^ 




"rdM^Mh^ 



SJXTH PRESIDKNT. 



r^"^' 



?m. 



39 



^,v^//:\\>,.^3 



I 30^]] QniI]6Y ^D^EQS. | 



i^.->^.'^ 




'K 



w 



■-^ 



? OHN QUINCY ADAMS, the 
If) sixth President of the United 
'So'Siates, was born in the rural 
J home of his honored fatlier. 
\i' Jo!in Adams, in Quincy, Mass., 
,^ on tlie I ith cf July, 1767. His 
mother, a woman of exalted 
uorth, watched over his childhood 
during the almost constant ab- 
sence of liis father. When but 
eight years of age, he stood with 
his mother on an eminence, listen- 
nig to the booming of the great bat- 
tle on Bunker's Hill, and gazing on 
upon the smoke and flames billow- 
ing ui> from the conflagration of 
("harlestown. 

When but eleven years old he 
took a tearful adieu of his mother, 
to sail with his father for Europe, 
through a fleet of hostile British cruisers. The bright, 
animated boy spent a year and a half in Paiis, where 
his father was associated with Franklin and Lee as 
minister plenipotentiary. His intelligence attracted 
the notice f)f these distinguished men, and he received 
from them flattering marks of attention. 

Mr. John Adams had scarcely returned to this 
country, in 1779, ere he was again sent abroad, .'\gain 
John (^uinc)- accompanied his father. At Paris he 
applied himself with great diligence, for six months, 
to study; then accompained his father to Holland, 
where he entered, first a school in .Amsterdam, then 
the University at I.eyden. About a year from this 
time, in 1781, when the manly boy was but fovirteen 
years of age, he was selected by Mr. Dana, our min- 
ister to the Russian court, as his private secretary. 

In this school of incessant lalwr .and of enobling 
culture he spent fourteen months, and then returned 
to Holland through Sweden, Depmark, Hamlnirg and 
Bremen. This long journey he took alone, in the 
winter, when in his sixteenth year. Again he resumed 
his studies, under n private tutor, at Hague. Thence, 



in the spring of 1782, he accompanied his father to 
Paris, traveling leisurely, and forming accpiaintancc 
with the most distinguished men on the Continent; 
examining architectural remains, galleries of paintings, 
and all renowned works of art. At Paris he again 
became associated with the most illustrious men of 
all lands in the contemplations of the loftiest temporal 
themes which can engross the human mind. After 
a short visit to England he returned to Paris, and 
consecrated all his energies to study until May, 1785, 
when he returned to .America. To a brilliant young 
man of eighteen, who had seen much of the world, 
and who was familiar with the etiipielte of courts, a 
residence with his father in London, under such cir- 
cumstances, must have been extremely attractive; 
but with judgment very rare in one of his age, he pre- 
ferred to return to America to comjilete his education 
in an American college. He wished then to study 
law, that with an honoraljle profession, he might be 
able to obtain an independent support. 

Upon leaving Harvard College, at the age of twenty, 
he stiulied law for three years. In |une, 1794, be- 
ing then but twenty-seven years of age, he was ap- 
pointed by Washington, resident minister at the 
Netherlands. Sailing from Boston in July, he reached 
London in October, where he was immediately admit- 
ted to the deliberations of Messrs. Jay and Pinckney, 
assisting them in negotiating a commercial treatv with 
(ireat Brilian. After thus spending a fortr.iglit in 
[,ondon, he proceeded to the Hague. 

In July, 1797, he left the Hague logo to Portugal as 
minister plenipotentiary. On his way to Portugal, 
upon arriving in London, he met with despatches 
directing him to the court of Berlin, but recpiesting 
him to remain in London until he should receive his 
instructions. \\'hile waiting he was married to an 
American lady to whom he had been i)reviously en- 
gaged, — Miss Louisa Catherine Johnson, daughter 
of Mr. Joshua Johnson, .\merican consul in London; 
a lady endownd with that beauty and those accom- 
plishment which eminently fitted her to move in the 
elevated sphere for which she was destined. 



err 



X/ 



1^;^. 



I^^\^>)«^# 



^^?^»^ 



-^^n!l>^DIIr>=^ 



r 






4>^j((®Xi^i! 




®:^«^^<|« 



/OlfJV QUINCY ADAMS. 



4^^((^V# 



f 



A 



% 



V 

■•) 



He reached Berlin with his wife in November, 1797 ; 
where he remained until July, 1799, when, having ful- 
filled all the purix)ses of his mission, he solicited his 
recall. 

Soon after his return, in 1802, he was chosen to 
Ihe Senate of Massachusetts, from Boston, and then 
was elected Senator of the United States for six years, 
from the 4th of March, 1804. His reputation, his 
ability and his experience, placed him immediately 
among the most prominent and influential members 
of that body. Especially did he sustain the Govern- 
ment in its measures of resistance to the encroach- 
ments of England, destroying our commerce and in- 
sulting our flag. There was no man in America more 
familiar with the arrogance of the British court upon 
these points, and no one more resolved to present 
a firm resistance. 

In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson in the Pres- 
idential chair, and he immediately nominated John 
Qtiincy Adams minister to St. Petersburg. Resign- 
ing his professorship in Harvard College, he embarked 
at Boston, in August, 1809. 

While in Russia, Mr. Adams was an intense stu- 
dent. He devoted his attention to the language and 
history of Russia; to the Chinese trade; to the 
European system of weights, measures, and coins ; to 
the climate and astronomical observations ; while he 
kept up a familiar acquaintance with the Greek and 
Latin classics. In all the universities of Europe, a 
more accomplished scholar could scarcely be found. 
All through life the Bible constituted an important 
part of his studies. It was his rule to read five 
chapters every day. 

On the 4th of March, 1817, Mr. Monroe took the 
Presidential chair, and immediately apj)ointed Mr. 
-■Vdams Secretai^ of State. Taking leave of his num- 
erous friends in public and private life in Europe, he 
sailed in June, 1819, for the United States. On tlie 
18th of August, he again crossed the threshold of his 
home in Quincy. During the eight yearsof Mr. Mon- 
roe's administration, Mr. .\dams <-.ontinued Secretary 
of State. 

Some time before the close of Mr. Monroe's second 
term of office, new candidates began to be presented 
for the Presidency. The friends of Mr. .\dams brought 
forward his name. It «'as an exciting campaign. 
Party spirit was never more bitter. Two hundred and 
sixty electoral votes were cast. Andrew Jackson re- 
ceived ninety-nine; John Quincy .-Vdams, eighty-four; 
William H. Crawford, forty-one; Henry Clay, thirty- 
seven. As there was no choice by the people, the 
(|uestion went to the House of Representatives. Mr. 
Clay gave the vote of Kentucky to Mr. Adams, and 
he was elected. 

The friends of all the disappointed candidates now 
combined in a venomous and persistent assault ui)on 
Mr. Adams. There is nothing more disgraceful in 
the past history of our country than the abuse which 



was poured in one uninterrupted stream, upon this 
high-minded, upright, patriotic man. There never was 
an administration more pure in principles, more con- 
scientiously devoted to the best interests of the coun- 
try, than that of John Quincy Adams; and never, per- 
haps, was there an administration more unscrupu- 
lously and outrageously assailed. 

Mr. Adams was, to a very remarkable degree, ab- 
stemious and temperate in his habits; always rising 
early, and taking much exercise. \\'hen at his home in 
Quincy, he has been known to walk, before breakfast, 
seven miles to Boston. In Washington, it was said 
that he was the first man up in the city, lighting his 
own fire and applying himself to work in his library 
often long before dawn. 

On the 4th of March, 1829, Mr. Adams retired 
from the Presidency, and was succeeded by Andrew 
j Jackson. John C. Calhoun was elected Vice Presi- 
dent. The slavery question now began to assume 
I portentous magnitude. Mr. Adams returned to 
j Quincy and to his studies, which he pursued with un- 
abated zeal. But he was not long permitted to re- 
main in retirement. In November, 1830, he was 
elected representative to Congress. For seventeen 
I years, until his deatli, he occupied the {X)st as repre- 
I sentative, towering above all his peers, ever ready to 
! do brave battle' for I'reedom, and winning the title of 
"the old man eloquent." Upon taking his seat in 
( the House, he announced that he should hold him- 
self bound to no party. Probably there never was a 
member more devoted to his duties. He was usually 
the first in his place in the morning, and. the last to 
leave his seat in the evening. Not a measure could 
j be brought forward and escape his scrutiny. The 
battle which Mr. Adams fought, almost singly, against 
the proslavery party in the Government, was sublime 
in Us moral daring and heroism. For persisting in 
presenting petitions for the abolition of slavery, he 
was threatened with indictment by the grand jury, 
with expulsion from the House, with assassination; 
but no threats could intimidate him, and his final 
triumph was complete. 

It has been said of President Adams, that when his 
body was bent and his hair silvered i>y the lapse of 
fourscore years, yielding to the simple faith of a little 
child, he was accustomed to repeat every night, before 
he slept, the prajer wliicli his nidther tauglit him in 
his infant years. 

On the 2istof February, 1848, he rose on the floor 
of Congress, with a paper in his hand, to address the 
speaker. Suddenly he fell, again stricken by paraly- 
sis, and was caught in the arms of those around him. 
For a time he was senseless, as he was conveyed to 
the sofa in the rotunda. With reviving conscious- 
ness, he opened his eyes, looked calmly around and 
said " This is the end of earth ;"then after a moment's 
pause he added, " I am eontenl" These were the 
last words of the grand "Old Man Eloquent." 



I 



vt 



A 



i>; 



V 



r 

i 

I 
5 



-K'^nii^Dar>M?^ — ^^^^^f^ 





^ 




(^ 



NDREVV JACKSON, the 
th President of the 
/L nited States, was Ijoin in 
'I Waxhaw settlement, N. (J., 
March 15, 1767, a few days 
after his father's death. His 
|)arents were pcxar emigrants 
from Ireland, and took up 
their abode in Waxhaw set- 
tlement, where they lived in 
deepest poverty. 
Andrew, or Andy, as he was 
universally called, grew up a very 
rough, rude, turbulent boy. His 
features were coarse, his form un- 
gainly; and there was l)ut very 
little in his cliaracter, made visible, which was at- 
tractive. 

Wiien only thirteen years old he joined tiie volun- 
teers of Carolina against the British invasion. In 
1781, he and his brother Robert were captured and 
imprisoned for a time at Camden. A British officer 
ordered him to brush his mud-spattered boots. " I am 
a prisoner of war, not your servant," was the reply of 
the dauntless boy. 

The brute drew his sword, and aimed a desperate 
blow at the head of the helpless young prisoner. 
.Andrew raised his hand, and thus received two fear- 
ful gashes, — one on tiie hand and the other ujxjn the 
head. The officer then turned to his brother Robert 
with the same demand. He also refused, and re- 
ceived a blow from the keen-edged sabre, which quite 
diiabled him, and which probably soon after caused 
his death. They suffered much other ill-treatment, and 
were finally stricken with the small-pox. Their 
mother was successful ill obtaining their exchange. 



A 



m 



-^Sii^^jjKL 



^ 



and took her sick boys home. After a long illness * 
Andrew recovered, and the death of liis mother soon 
left him entirely friendless. 

Andrew supported himself in various ways, such as 
working at the saddler's trade, teaching school and 
clerking in a general store, until 1784, when he 
entered a law office at Salisbury, N. C. He, however, (" ^ 
gave more attention to the wild amusements of the 
times than to his studies. In 1788, he was appointed 
solicitor for the western district of North Carolina, of 
which Tennessee was then a part. This involved 
many long and tedious journeys amid dangers of 
every kind, but Andrew Jackson never knew fear, 
and the Indians had no desire to repeat a skirmish 
with the Sharj) Knife. 

In 1791, Mr. Jackson was married to a woman who 
supposed herself divorced from her former husband, 
(ireat was the surprise of both parties, two years later, 
to find that the conditions of the divorce had just been 
definitely settled jjy the first husband. The marriage 
ceremony was performed a second time, but the occur- 
rence was often used by his enemies to bring Mr. 
Jackson into disfavor. 

During these years he worked hard at his profes- 
sion, and frequently had one or more duels on hand, 
one of which, when he killed Dickenson, was espec- 
ially disgraceful. 

In January, 1796, tiie Territory of Tennessee then 
containing nearly eighty thousand inhabitants, the 
people met in convention at Knoxville to frame a con- 
stitution. Five were sent from each of the eleven 
( ounties. Andrew Jackson was one of the delegates. 
The new State was entitled to but one member in 
the National House of Rejiresentatives. Andrew Jack- 
son was chosen that member. Mounting his horse he 
rode to IMiiledeljihia, where Congress then held its 



c 



<mM^>>^ 



>^ 44 



|gD^^> 



A 



y^j 



v> 



I 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



-4?^§5C<®V^Si. 



^ sessions, — a distance of about eight Inindred miles. 

/j^ Jackson was an earnest advocate of the Deino- 

-•f. cratic party. Jefferson was his idol. He admired 

'V Bonaparte, loved France and hated England. As Mr. 
T Jackson took his seat. Gen. Washington, whose 

(hj second term of office was then expiiing, delivered his 
last speech to Congress. A committee drew up a 
complimentary address in reply. Andrew Jackson 
did not approve of the address, and was one of the 
twelve wlio'voted against it. He was not willing to 
say that Gen. \\ asliington's adminstration had been 
" wise, firm and patriotic." 
J Mr. Jackson was elected to the United States 

,■4^ Senate in 1797, but soon resigned and returned home. 

■'^1 Soon after he was chosen Judge of the Supreme {'ourt 
,^ of liis State, which position he lield fjr six years. 

Wlieu tlie war of 1812 witli Great Britran com- 
menced, Madison occui)ied the Presidential chair. 
Aaron Burr sent word to the President that there was 
an unknown man in the West, Andrew Jackson, who 
would do credit to a commission if one were con- 
ferred \.\\X)X\ him. Just at that time Gen. Jackson 
, ~\ offered his services and those of twenty-five hundred 
volunteers. His offer was accepted, and the troops 
were assembled at Nashville. 

As the British were hourly expected to make an at- 
tack upon New Orleans, where Gen, Wilkinson was 
in command, he was ordered to descend the river 
_ with fifteen hundred troops to aid Wilkinson. The 

?^ expedition reached Natchez; and afteradela\ of sev- 

"O' era! weeks there, without accomplishing anything, 
N the men were ordered i)ack to their homes. But the 
energy Gen. Jackson had disphiyed, and his entire 
devotion to the comrfort of his soldiers, won him 
golden opinions; and he became the most popular 
man in the State. It was in this expedition that his 
toughness gave him 'the nickname of " Old Hickory." 
Soon after this, while attempting to horsewliip ("ol. 
Thomas H. Benton, for a remark that gentleman 
made about his taking a part as second in a duel, in 
which a younger brother of Benton's was engaged, 
he received two severe pistol wounds. While he was 
lingering tiixm a bed of sulTering news came that the 
Indians, who had comliined imder Tecumseh from 
Florida to the Lakes, to exterminate the white set- 
tlers, were committing the most awful ravages. De- 
cisive action became necessary. Gen. Jackson, with 
his fractured bone just beginning to heal, his arm in 
a sling, and unable to mount his horse without assis- 
tance, gave his amazing energies to the raising of an 
army to rendezvous at Fayettesville, .\labama. 

The Creek Indians had established a strong fort on 
one of the bendsof theTallaooosa River, near the cen- 
ter of Alabama, almut fifty miles below Fort Strother. 

_ With an army of two tliousand men. Gen. Jackson 

f traversed the pathless wilderness in a march of eleven 
days. He reached their fort, called Tohopeka or 
Horse-shoe, on the 27th of March. 1814. The bend 



of the river enclosed nearly one hundred acres of 
tangled forest and wild ravine. Across the narrow 
neck the Indians had constructed a formidable brea.st- 
work of logs and brush. Here nine hundred warriors, 
with an ample suplyof arms were assembled. 

The fort was stormed. The fight was utterly des- 
perate. Not an Indian would accept of quarter. When 
bleeding and dying, they would fight those who en- 
deavored to spare their lives. From ten in the morn- 
ing until dark, the battle raged. The carnage was 
awful and revolting, .'^ome threw themselves into the 
river; but the unerring bullet struck their heads as 
they swam. Nearly ever)'one of the nine hundred war- 
rios were killed A few probably, in the night, swam 
the river and escaped. This ended the war. The 
ix)wer of the Creeks was Ijroken forever. This bold 
plunge into the wilderness, with itsterriffic slaughter, 
so appalled the savages, that the haggard remnants 
of the bands came to the camp, begging for peace. 

This closing of the Creek war enabled us to con- 
centrate all our militia ujXjn the British, who were the 
allies of the Indians No man of less resolute will 
than Gen. Jackson could have conducted this Indian 
campaign to so successful an issue Immediate! v he 
was apjxjinted major-general. 

Late in .\ugust, with an army of two thousand 
men, on a rushing marcii. Gen. Jackson came to 
Mobile. A British fleet came from Pensacola, landed 
a force ujxm the beach, an< hored near the little fort, 
and from both ship and shore commenced a furious 
assault. The battle was long and doubtful. .\t length 
one of the ships was blown up and the rest retired. 

Crarrisoning Mobile; where he had taken his little 
army, he moved his troops to New Orleans, 
.\nd the battle of New Orleans which soon ensued, 
was in reality a very arduous campaign. This won 
for Gen. [ackson an imperishable name. Here his 
troops, which numbered about four thousand men, 
won a signal victory over the British army of about 
nine thousand. His loss was but thirteen, while the 
loss of the British was two thousand six hundred. 

The name of Gen. lackson soon began to be men- 
tioned in connection with the Presidency, but, in 1824, 
he was defeated by Mr. .\dams. He was, however, 
successful in the election of 1828, and was re-elected 
for a second term in 1832. In 1829, just before he 
assumed the reins of the government, lie met with 
the most terrible affliction of his life in the death of 
his wife, whom he had loved witha devotion which has 
perhaps never been surpassed. From the shock of 
her death he never recovered. 

His administration was one of the most memorable 
in the annals of our country; applauded by one party, 
condemned by the other. No man had more bitter 
enemies or warmer friends. .\t tlie cxpiraliim of his 
two terms of office he retired to the Hermitage, where 
he died June 8, 1845. The last years of Nlr. Jack- 
son's life were that of a devoted Christian man. 




Vv. 



1 

i 



r 






<im%m<y'-^ — ^^^^^ 



•4^^5f®A 




//^ 'J 7/^^^ ^^ ^/3UiiX-^^^^ 



1^^ 



»/^))^#^ 



■^=^-7- 



^011:^11 Il>> 



y'^ 



^t^^C^V!^ 



^^ 



EIGHTH PRESFDEXT. 



K 



[=3 



^ 



47 







\ r.>j^:» 






ipifl'Il] Y^l] BUItEy. '{OW* 



=^v?)" 




->A'^>:v?A^X:^-^^^f^ 




ARI'lN VAN BURKN, tlic 

ciLihth President of the 

■ I'liited States, was born at 

Kinilerliook, N. V., Dec. 5, 

17SJ. He died at the same 

plac e, July 24, 1S62. His 

body rests in the cemetery 

at Kinderhook. Above it is 

a plain granite shaft tifteeii feet 

high, bearing a simple inscription 

about half way up on one face. 

The lot is unfenced, unbordered 

or unbounded by shrub or flower. 

There is but little in the life of Martin Van i5uren 
of romantic interest. He fought no battles, engaged 
in no wild adventures. Though his life was stormy in 
lX)litical and intellectual conflicts, and he gained many 
signal victories, his days passed uneventful in those 
incidents which give zest to biography. His an- 
cestors, as his name indicates, were of Dutch origin, 
and were among the earliest emigrants from Holland 
to the banks of the Hudson. His father was a farmer, 
residing in the old town of Kinderhoqk. His mother, 
also of Dutch lineage, was a woman of superior intel- 
ligence and e.\emplary piety. 

He was decidedly a precocious boy, develo[)ing un- 
usual activity, vigor and strength of mind. At the 
age of fourteen, he had finished his academic studies 
in his native village, and commenced the study of 
law. As he had not a collegiate education, seven 
years of study in a law-office were reipiired of him 
before he could be admitted to the bar. Inspired with 
a lofty ambition, and conscious of his powers, he pur- 
sued his studies with indefatigable industry. After 
.spending six years in an office in his native village, 



he went to the city of Xew York, and prosecuted his 
studies for the seventh year. 

In 1803, Mr. Van Buren, then twenty-one years of 
age, commenced the practice of law in his native vil- 
lage. The great conflict between the Federal and 
Republican party was then at its height. Mr. Van 
Buren was from the beginning a politician. He had, 
perhaps, imbibed that spirit while listening to the 
many discussions which had been carried on in his 
father's hotel. He was iir cordial sympathy with 
Jefferson, and earnestly and elocpiently espoused the 
cause of State Rights; though at that time the Fed- 
eral party held the supremacy both in his town 
and State. 

His success and increasing ruputation led him, 
after six years of practice, to remove to Hudson, the 
county seat of his county. Here he spent seven years, 
constantly gaining strength by contending in the 
courts with some of the ablest men who have adorned 
the bar of his .State. 

Just before leaving Kinderhook for Hudson, Mr. 
Van Buren married a lady alike distinguished for 
beauty and accomplishments. After twelve short 
years she sank into the grave, the victim of consump- 
tion, leaving her husband and four sons to weep over- 
her loss. l'\)r twenty-five years, Mr. Van Buren was 
an earnest, successful, assiduous lawyer. The record 
of those years is barren in items of public interest. 
In 181 2, when thirty years of age, he was chosen to 
the State Senate, and gave his strenuous supjxirt to 
Mr. Madison's adniinstration. In 1815, he was ap- 
[lointed ,\ttorney-Cieneral, and the next year moved 
to .'\lbany, the capital of the State. 

While he was acknowledged as one of the most 
prominent leaders of the Democratic party, he had 



vV 



V^ 



A 

•■ — ' 

1=1 

•<— ' 
•f • 



t 






y 




-'eV 



MARTIN VAN BUREN. 






^ 



/^ 



:^ 



> 



t 




the moral courage to avow that true democracy did 
not require that " universal suffrage " which admits 
the vile, the degraded, the ignorant, to the right of 
governing the State. In true consistency with his 
democratic principles, he contended that, while the 
path leading to the privilege of voting should be open 
to every man without distinction, no one should he 
invested with that sacred prerogative, unless he were 
in some degree qualified for it by intelligence, virtue 
and some property interests in the welfare of the 
State. 

In 182 I he was elected a member of the United 
States Senate; and in the same year, he took a seat 
in the convention to revise the constitution of his 
native State. His course in this convention secured 
the approval of men of all parties. No one could 
doubt the singleness of his endeavors to promote the 
interests of all classes in the community. In the 
Senate of the United States, he rose at once to a 
conspicuous ixssition as anactive and useful legislator. 

In 1827, John Quincy Adams being then in the 
Presidential chair, Mr. Van Buren was re-elected to 
the Senate. He had been from the beginning a de- 
termined opiX)ser of the Administration, adopting the 
"State Rights" view in opposition to what was 
deemed the Federal proclivities of Mr. .\dams. 

Soon after this, in 1828, he was chosen (iovernorof 
the State of New York, and accordingly resigned his 
seat in the Senate. Probably no one in the United 
States contributed so much towards ejecting John Q. 
Adams from the Presidential chair, and placing in it 
Andrew Jackson, as did Martin Van Buren. Whether 
entitled to the reputation or not, he certainly was re- 
garded throughout the United States as one of the 
most skillful, sagacious and cunning of jxyliticians. 
It was supixjsed that no one knew so well as he how 
to touch the secret springs of action; how to pull all 
the wires to put his machinery in motion ; and how to 
organize a jwlitical army which would, secretly and 
stealthily accomplish the most gigantic results. By 
these [wwers it is said that he outwitted Mr. Adams, 
Mr. Clay, Mr. Webster, and secured results which 
few thought then could be accomplished. 

When .\ndrew Jackson was elected President he 
apf)ointed Mr. Van Buren Secretary of State. This 
position he resigned in 1831, and was immediately 
appointed Minister to England, where he went the 
same autumn. The Senate, however, when it met, 
refused to ratify the nomination, and he returned 






V 



i^ 



^^^^ — ^tK^HO^: 



home, apparently untroubled ; was nominated Vice 
President in the place of Calhoun, at the re-election 
of President Jackson ; and with smiles for all and 
frowns for none, he took his place at the iiead of that 
Senate which had refused to confirm his nomination 
as ambassador. 

His rejection by the Senate roused all the zeal of 
President Jackson in behalf of his repudiated favor- 
ite ; and this, probably more than any other cause, 
secured his elevation to the chair of the Chief Execu- 
tive. On the 20th of May, 1836, Mr. Van Buren re- 
ceived the Democratic nomination to succeed Gen. 
Jackson as President of the United States. He was 
elected by a handsome majority, to the delight of the 
retiring President. "Leaving New York out of the 
canvass," says Mr. Parton, "the election of Mr. Van 
Buren to the Presidency was as much the act of Gen. 
Jackson as though the Constitution had conferred 
upon him the power to appoint a successor." 

His administration was filled with exciting events. 
The insurrection in Canada, which threatened to in- 
volve this country in war witli England, the agitation 
of the slavery question, and finally the great commer- = 
cial panic which spread over the country, all were *^ 
trials to his wisdom. The financial distress was at- 
tributed to the management of the Democratic party, 
and brought the President into such disfavor that he 
failed of re-election. 

With the exception of being nominated for the 
Presidency by the "Free Soil" Democrats, in 1848, 
Mr. Van Buren lived ([uietly upon his estate until 
his death. 

He had ever been a prudent man, of frugal habits, 
and living within his income, had now fortunately a 
competence for his declining years. His unblemished 
character, his commanding abilities, his un([uestioned 
patriotism, and the distinguished [wsitions which he 
had occupied in the government of our country, se- 
cured to him not only the homage of his party, but 
the respect ot the whole community. It was on the 
4th of March, 1841, that Mr. Van Buren retired from 
the presidency. From his fine estate at Lindenwald^ 
he still exerted a powerful influence w\iox\ the politics 
of the country. From this time until his death, on 
the 24th of July, 1862, at the age of eighty years, he 
resided at Lindenwald, a gentleman of leisure, of ^^ 
culture and of wealth; enjoying in a healthy old ^^ 
age, probably far more happiness than he had before ^J 
experienced amid tlie stormy scenes of his active life. ^ 

W^y^. ^ ■-'- '^^^5C@>Nii 



c 



A 



^ 

^ 







/^;^;^e3^^^^i^'>^ 



^-rm^^ 




i 






i. 



(i 




ILLIAM HENRY HARRl- 
bOV, the ninth President of 
the United States, was horn 
Tt I eikeles , \'a., Feb. 9, 1773. 
Hib father, Beiijaniin Harri- 
son was in comparatively op- 
ulent circumstances, and was 
one of the most distinguished 
men of his day. He was an 
mtimate friend of George 
Washington, \v as early elected 
a member of the Continental 
Congress, and was conspicuous 
among the patriots of Virginia in 
resisting the encroachments of the 
liritish crown. In the celebrated 
Congress of 1775, Benjamin Har- 
rison and Jolin Hancock were 
both candidates for the office of 
speaker. 

Mr Harrison was subseiiuently 
chosen Governor of Virginia, and 
was twice re-elected. His son, 
; William Henry, of course enjoyed 

in childhood all the advantages which wealth and 
intellectvial and cultivated society could give. Hav- 
ing received a thorough common-school education, he 
entered Hampden Sidney College, where he graduated 
with honor soon after the death of his father. He 
then repaired to Philadelphia to study medicine under 
the instructions of Dr. Rush and the guardianship of 
Robert Morris, both of whom were, with his father, 
signers of the Declaration of Independence. 

Upon the outbreak of the Indian troubles, and not- 
withstanding the remonstrances of his friends, he 
abandoned his medical studies and entered the army, 
having obtained a commission of Ensign from Presi- 



dent Washington. He was then but ig years old. 
From that time he passed gradually upward in rank 
until he became aid to (ieneral Wayne, after whose 
death he resigned his commission. He was then ap- 
pointed Secretary of the North-western Territory. This 
Territory *as then entitled to but one member in 
Congress and Capt. Harrison was chosen to fill that 
lX)sition. 

In the spring of 1800 the North-western Territory 
was divided by Congress into two jMrtions. The 
eastern portion, comprising the region now embraced 
in the State of Ohio, was called " The Territory 
north-west of the C)hio." The western portion, which 
included what is now called Indiana, Illinois and 
Wisconsin, was called the "Indiana Territory." Wil- 
liam Henry Harrison, then 27 years of age, was ap- 
jxiinted by John Adams, Governor of the Indiana 
Territory, and immediately after, also Governor of 
Upper Louisiana. He was thus ruler over almost as 
extensive a realm as any sovereign upon the globe. He 
was Superintendent of Indian Affairs, and was in- 
vested with powers nearly dictatorial over the now 
rapidly increasing white population. The ability and 
fidelity with which he discharged these res|ionsible 
duties may be inferred from the fact that he was four 
times apjx)inted to this office — first by John Adams, 
twice by Thomas Jefferson and afterwards by Presi- 
dent Madison. 

When he began his adminstration there were but 
three white settlementsin that almost boundless region, 
now crowded with cities and resounding with all the 
tumult of wealth and traffic. Oneof these settlements 
was on the Ohio, nearly ojjposite Louisville; one at 
Vincennes, on the Wabash, and the third a French 
settlement. 

The vast wilderness over which Gov. Harrison 
reigned was filled with many tribes of Indians. About 



A 






(r) 



-^^^^ — ^^rK^^Dii:<iiiiv^^ 



«a- 



-f*^^ 




ft~:-5«^^r*=- 




TssC^fe- 



T7 



-v<^M'Mh> 



TT 



WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 



^ the year 1806, two extraordinary mei:, twin brothers, 
^ of the Shawnese tribe, rose among them. One of 
f) these was called Tecumseh, or " The Crouching 






^ 



Panther;" the other, OUiwacheca, or "The Prophet. 
Tecumseh was not only an Indian warrior, but a man 
of great sagacity, far-reaching foiesiglu and indomit- 
able perseverance in any enterprise ni wliich he might 
engage. He was inspired with the highest enthusiasm, 
and had long regarded with dread and with hatred 
the encroachment of the whites uiion the hunting- 
grounds of his fathers. His l)rotlier, tlie Prophet, was 
anorator, wlio could sway the feelingsof the untutored 
Indian as the gale tossed the tree-tops beneath wliicli 
they dwelt. 

But the Prophet was not merely an orator : he was, 
in the superstitious minds of tlie Indians, invested 
with the superhuman dignity of a medicine-man or a 
magician. With an enthusiasm unsurpassed by Peter 
the Hermit rousing Europe to the crusades, he went 
from tribe to tribe, assuming that he was specially sent 
by the Cireat .Spirit. 

Gov. Harrison made many attempts to conciliate 
the Indians, but at last the war came, and at Tippe- 
canoe the Indians were routed with great slaughter. 
^ October 28, 1812, his army began its march. When 
./\ near the Prophet's town three Indians of rank made 
j^ their appearance and inquired wliy Ciov. Harrison was 
1=3 approaching them in so hostile an attitude. After a 
)r5 short conference, arrangements were made for a meet- 
ing the next day, to agree upon terms of peace. 

But Gov. Harrison was loo well acquainted with 
the Indian character to be deceived by sucli protes- 
tations. Selecting a favorable spot for his night's en- 
campment, he took every precaution against surprise. 
His troops were [wsted in a hollow s([uare, and slept 
upon their arms. 

'I'he troops threw themselves upon the ground for 
rest; b\it every man had his accourtrements on, his 
loaded musket by his side, and his bayonet fixed. The 
wakeful Governor, between three and four o'clock in 
the morning, had risen, and was sitting in conversa- 
.^ tion with his aids by the embers of a waning fire. It 
\? was a chill, cloudy morning with a drizzling rain. In 
^ the darkness, the Indians had crept as near as possi- 
ble, and just then, with a savage yell, rushed, with all 
tlie desperation which superstition and i)assion most 
highly inflamed could give, upon the left Hank of the 
little army. The savages had been amply provided 
with guns and ammunition by the English. Their 
war-whoop was accompained by a shower of bullets. 
The camp-fires were instantly extinguished, as the 
\ light aided the Indians in their aim. With hide- 
.'ii ous yells, the Indian bands rushed on, not doubtir.g a 
K speedy and an entire victory. \\\\\. Gen. Harrison's 
■i/ troops stood as immovable as the rocks around them 
^ until day dawned : they then made a simultaneous 
») charge with the Ijayonet, and swept every thing be- 
^ fore them, and completely routing the foe. 



) 



> 

' ) 



A 



^ 




(iov. Harrison now had all his energies tasked 
to the utmost. The British descending from theCan- 
adas, were of themselves a very formidable force ; but 
with their savage allies, rushing like wolves from the 
forest, searching out every remote farm-house, burn- 
ing, plundering, scalping, torturing, the wide frontier 
was plunged into a state of consternation which even 
the most vivid imagination can but faintly conceive. 
The war-whoop was resounding everywhere in the 
forest. The horizon was illuminated with the conflagra- 
tion of the cabins of the settlers. Gen Hull had made 
the ignominious surrender of his forces at Detroit. 
Under these despairing circumstances, Gov. Harrison 
was appointed by President Madison commander-in- 
chief of the North-western army, with orders to retake 
Detroit, and to [irotect the frontiers. 

It would be difficult to place a man in a situation 
demanding more energy, sagacity and courage; but 
(ieneral Harrison was found equal to the position, 
and nol)ly and triumphantly did he meet all the re- 
sponsibilities. 

He won the love of his soldiers by al'.vays sharing 
with them their fatigue. His whole baggage, while 
pursuing the foe up the Thames, was carried in a 
valise; and his bedding consisted of a single blanket 
lashed over his saddle. Thirty-five British officers, 
his [jrisoners of war, supjied with him after the battle. 
The only fare he could give them was beef roasted 
before the fire, without bread or salt. 

In iS 16, Gen. Harrison was chosen a member of 
the National House of Representatives, to represent 
the District of Ohio. In Congress he proved an 
active member; and whenever he spoke, it was with 
force of reason and power of elocjuence, which arrested 
the attention of all the members. 

In I Si 9, Harrison was elected to the Senate of 
Ohio; and in 1S24, as one of the presidential electors 
of that State, he gave his vote for Henry Clay. The 
same year he was chosen to the L'nited States Senate. 

In 1836, the friends of Gen. Harrison brought him 
forward as a candidate for the Presidency against 
Van Buren, but he was defeated. At the close of 
Mr. Van Buren's term, he was re -nominated by his 
party, and Mr. Harrison was unanimou.sly nominated 
by the Whigs, with John Tyler for the Vice Presidency. 
The contest was very animated. Gen Jackson gave 
all his influence to prevent Harrison's election ; but 
his triumph was signal. 

'I'he cabinet which he formed, with Daniel Webster 
at its head as Secretary of State, ivas one of the most 
brilliant with which anv President had ever been 
surrounded. Never were the prospects of an admin- 
istration more flattering, or the hopes of the country 
more sanguine. In the midst of these bright and 
joyous prospects, Gen. Harrison was seized by a 
pleurisy-fever and after a few days of violent sick- 
ness, died on the 4th of April ; just one month after 
his inauguration as President of the United States. 



A 



'>: 



A 



\' 



r 








C^i^/Z 




^ 




rfrV<:ll[l>:l 



TENTH PRKSIDENT. 



">SNi>i,- 



J DlII^ TYLE 







55 



V^ 



OHN TYLER, the tentli 
rresidentof tlie United States. 
He was born in Charles-city 
Co., Va., March 29, 1790. He 
WIS the favored child of af- 
fluence and high social po- 
sition. At the early age of 
twelve, John entered William 
and Mary C'ollege and grad- 
nated with much honor when 
but seventeen years old. After 
graduating, he devoted him- 
self witli great assiduity to the 
study of law, partly with his 
father and partly with Kdmund 
Randolph, one of the most distin- 
guished lawyers of Virginia. 
At nineteen years of age, ne 
ft U commenced the practice of law. 
|» His success was rapid and aston- 
ishing. It is said that three 
months had not elapsed ere there 
was scarcely a case on the dock- 
I et of the court in which he was 

not retained. When but twenty-one years of age, he 
was almost vmanimonsly elected to a seat in the State 
Legislature. He connected himself with the Demo- 
cratic party, and warmly advocated the measures of 
Jefferson and Madison. For five successive years he 
was elected to the Legislature, receiving nearly the 
unanimous vote or his county. 

When but twenty-six years of age, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Here he acted earnestly and 
ably with the Democratic party, opiX)sing a national 
bank, intcnial improvements by the General Govern- 



ment, a protective tariff, and advocatmg a strict con- 
struction of the Constitution, and the most careful 
vigilance over State rights. His labors in Congress 
were so arduous that before the close of his second 
term he found it necessary to resign and retire to his 
estate in Charles-city Co., to recruit his health. He, 
however, soon after consented to take his seat in the 
State Legislature, where his influence was powerful 
in promoting public works of great utility. NVith a 
reputation thus canstantly increasing, he was chosen 
by a very large majority of voles, Ciovernor of his 
native State. His administration was signally a suc- 
cessful one. His poi)ularity secured his re-election. 

John Randolph, a brilliant, erratic, half-crazed 
man, thtn represented Virginia in tlie Senate of the 
United States. A portion of the Democratic party 
was displeased with Mr. Randolph's wayward course, 
and brought forward John Tyler as his ojiiwnenl, 
considering him the only man in Virginia of»sufficient 
po|)ularity to succeed against the renowned orator of 
Roanoke. Mr. Tyler was the victor. 

In accordance with his professions, upon taking his 
seat in the Senate, he joineii the ranks of the oi)posi- 
tion. He oi)posed the tariff; he spoke against and 
voted against the bank as unconstitutional; he stren- 
uously op])osed all restrictions upon slavery, resist- 
ing all projects of internal improvements by the Gen- 
eral Governnient, and avowed his sympathy with Mr. 
Calhoun's vii'w of nvillification ; he declared that Gen. 
Jackson, by his opposition to the nullifiers, had 
abandoned the princi])les of the Democratic party. 
•Such was Mr. Tyler's record in Congress, — a record 
in |)erfect accordance with the princi]iles which he 
had always avowed. 

Returning to Virginia, he resumed the practice of 
his profession. There was a split in the Democratic 



A 



^^^^'-' — ^-^^il!i:<iit]i>^ 



^-. 



_>;?i^'Mi^rr_ 



^^^i^^Mi 



iiK/'®^«^#— 




-:^^ — 6v<>nD^nnf>T^ 



rr 



-«^^(@M^ 



JOJIN TYLER. 



<h 



(0 

i 



I 



party. His friends still regarded him as a true Jef- 
fersonian, gave hini a dinner, and showered compli- 
ments upon him. He had now attained the age of 
forty-six. His career had been very brilliant. In con- 
sequence of his devotion to public business, his pri- 
vate affiiirs had fallen into some disorder; and it was 
not without satisfaction that he resumed the practice 
of law, and devoted himself to the culture of his plan- 
tation. Soon after this he removed to Williamsburg, 
for the better education of his children ; and he again 
took his seat in the Legislature of Virginia. 

By the Southern Whigs, he was sent to the national 
convention at Harrisburg to nominate a President in 
1839. The majority of votes were given to Gen. Har- 
rison, a genuine Whig, much to the disappointment ot 
the South, who wished for Henry Clay. To concili- 
ate the Southern Whigs and to secure their vote, the 
convention then nominated Jolui Tyler for Vice Pres- 
ident. It was well known that he was not in sympa- 
thy with the Whig party in the Noith : but the Vice 
President has but very little power in the Govern- 
ment, his main and almost only duty being to pre- 
side over the meetings of the Senate. Thus it hap- 
pened that a Whig President, and, in reality, a 
Democratic Vice President were chosen. 

In 1841, Mr. Tyler was inaugurated Vice Presi- 
dent of the United States. In one short month from 
that time, President Harrison died, and Mr. Tyler 
thus found himself, to his own surprise and that ot 
the whole Nation, an occupant of the Presidential 
chair. This was a new test of the stability of our 
institutions, as it was the first time in the history of our 
country that such an event had occured. Mr. Fyler 
was at home in Williamsburg when he received the 
unexpected tidings of the death of President Harri- 
son. He hastened to Washington, and on the 6th of 
April was inaugurated to the high and responsible 
office. He was placed in a position of e.xcecding 
delicacy and ditificulty. All his long life he had been 
opposed to the main iirinciples of the party which had 
brought him into power. He had ever been a con- 
sistent, honest man, with an unblemished record, 
(ien. Harrison had selected a Whig cabinet. Should 
he retain them, and thus suiround himself with coun- 
sellors whose views were antagonistic to his own? or, 
on the other hand, should he turn against the party 
which had elected him and select a cabinet in har- 
mony vvith himself, and which would oppose all those 
views which the Whigs deemed essential to the pub- 
lic welfare? This was his fearful dilemma. He in- 
vited the caliinet which President Harrison had 
selected to retain their seats. He reccommended a 
day of fasting and prayer, that God would guide and 
bless us. 

The Whigs carried through Congress a bill for the 
incorjxjration of a fiscal bank of the United States. 
The President, after ten days' delay, returned it with 
his veto. He suggested, however, that he would 



1 
I 



approve of a bill drawn up upon such a plan as he 
proposed. Such a bill was accordingly prepared, and 
privately submitted to him. He gave it his approval. 
It was passed without alteration, and he sent it back 
with his veto. Here commenced the open rupture. 
It is said that Mr. Tyler was provoked to this meas- 
ure by a published letter from the Hon. John M. 
Botts, a distinguished Virginia Whig, who severely 
touched the pride of the President. 

The opposition now exultingly received the Presi- 
dent into their arms. The party which elected him 
denounced him bitterly. All the members of his 
cabinet, excepting Mr. Webster, resigned. The Whigs 
of Congress, both the Senate and the House, held a 
meeting and issued an address to the people ot the 
United States, proclaiming that all political alliance 
between the Whigs and President Tyler were at 
an end. 

Still the President attempted to conciliate. He 
appointed a new cabmet of distinguished Whigs and 
Conservatives, carefully leaving out all strong party 
men. Mr. Webster soon found it necessary to resign, 
forced out by the pressure of his Whig friends. Thus 
the four years of Mr. Tyler's unfortunate administra- 
tion passed sadly away. No one was satisfied. The 
land was filled with murmurs and vituperation. ^\ higs "^ 
and Democrats alike assailed him. More and more, =■ 
however, he brought himself into sympathy with his Xi,. 
old friends, the Democrats, until atthe close of his term, ^ 
he gave his whole influence to the support of Mr. 1=1 
Polk, the Democratic candidate for his successor. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, he retired from the 
harassments of office, totlie regret of neither p.irty, and 
probably to his own unsjjeakalile lelief. His first wife, 
Miss Letitia Christian, died in Washington, in 1842; 
and in June, 1844, I'resident Tyler was again married, 
at New York, to Miss Julia Gardiner, a young lady of 
many personal and intellectual accomplishments. 

The remainder of his days Mr. Tyler passed mainly 
in retirement at his beautiful home, — Sherwood For- 
est, Charles-city Co., Va. A polished gentleman in 5 
his manners, richly furnished with mformation from J^ 
books and experience in the world, and ])ossessing f 
brilliant powers of conversation, his family circle was 
the scene of unusual attractions. With sufficient 
means for the exercise of a generous hos|)itality, he 
might have enjoyed a serene old age with the few 
friends who gathered aroiuid him, were it not for the 
storms of civil war which his own principles and 
]X)licy had heljied to introduce. 

When the great Rebellion rose, which the State- 
rights and n\illifying doctrines of Mr. John C. Cal- 
houn had inaiigurated, President Tyler renounced his 
allegiance to the United States, and joined the Confed- 
erates. He was chosen a member of their Congress; 
and while engaged in active measures to destroy, by 
force of arms, the Government over which he had 
once presided, he was taken sick and soon died. 






C 



I 



-^vm^ ^^^-^<^D!l^Dlln>-^r^ S«??^>o^ 



4^^(<®y^<:(^'^ 



ifr/^ 



!>j«r 



ELEVENTH PRESIDENT. 



-i^^^vS 



59 



^ 




<5t -s^ ,^^8 




^ ^1 AMES K. Pdl.K, the eleventh 
j.j|President of the United StatL-s, 
was born in Mecklenburg Co., 
N. C, Nov. 2, 1795. His par- 
ents were Samuel and Jane 
(Knox) Polk, the former a son 
of Col. Thomas Polk, who located 
at the above place, as one of the 
first pioneers, in 17,35. 

Ill the year 1006, with iiis wife 
and children, and soon after fol- 
lowed by most of the members of 
the Polk famly, Samuel Polk emi- 
grated some two or three hundred 
miles farther west, to the rich valley 
of the Duck River. Here in the 
midst of the wilderness, in a region 
which was sul)se()uently called Mau- 
ry Co., they reared their log huts, 
and established their homes. In the 
hard toil of a new farm in the wil- 

f" derness, James K. Polk spent the 
early years of his childhood and 
youth. His father, adding the nur- 
suit of a surveyor to that of a fanner, 
gradually increased in wealth until 
he became one of the leading men of the region. I lis 
mother was a superior woman, of strong loniiiKin 
sense and earnest piety. 

Very early in life, James develo[)ed a taste for 
reading and expressed the strongest desire to obtain 
a liberal education. His mother's training had made 
him methodical in his habits, had taught him i)unct- 
uality and industry, and had ins])ircd him with lofty 
principles of morality. His health was frail ; and his 
father, fearing that he might not be able to endure a 



sedentary life, got a situation for him behind the 
counter, hoping to fit him for commercial i)ursuits. 

This was to James a bitter disap|)ointinent. He 
had no taste for these duties, and his daily tasks 
were irksome in the extreme. He remained in this 
uncongenial occupation but a few weeks, when at his 
earnest solicitation his father removed him, and made 
arrangements for him to prosecute his studies. Soon 
after he sent him to Murfreesboro Academy. \V'ith 
ardor which could scarcely be surpassed, he pressed 
forward in his studies, and in less than two and a half 
years, in the autumn of 1815, entered the sophomore 
class in the University of North Carolina, at Chapel 
Hill. H'ere he was one of the most exemplary of 
scholars, punctual in every exercise, never allowing 
himself to he absent from n recitation or a religious 
service. 

He graduated in 1818, with the highest honors, be- 
ing deemed the best scholar of his class, both in 
mathematics and the classics, lie was llicii tuciity- 
three years of age. Mr. Polk's health was at this 
time much impaired by the assiduity wiili wliii h he 
had prosecuted his studies. After a short season of 
relaxation he went to Nashville, and entered the 
office of Felix (Irundy, to slii<l\ law. Here Mr. I'olk 
renewed his actpiaintancc wilh .\iuhvw Jackson, who 
resided on his plantation, the Hermitage, but a few 
miles from Nashville. They had probably been 
slightly acquainted belbie. 

Mr. Polk's father was a Jeffersonian Republican, 
and James K. Polk ever adhered to the same politi- 
cal faith. He was a popular public speaker, and was 
constantly called u]X)n to address the meetings of his 
party friends. His skill as a speaker was such that 
he was ix)pularly callcil the Napoleon of the stump. 
He was a man of unblemished morals, genial and 



A 



'?^. 






'^Mt^ 



m 
I 

f 



)^^ 



60 



JAMES K. POLK. 



4^^f®V#; 



). 
A 



3 



1^ 



I 
t 

t 

,':'■>■■;. 



courteous in his bearing, and with that sympathetic 
nature in the jo) s and griefs of others which ever gave 
him troops of friends. In 1823, Mr. Polk was elected 
to the Legislature of Tennessee. Here he gave his 
strong influence towards the election of his friend, 
Mr. Jackson, to the Presidency of the United States. 

In January, 1824, Mr. Polk married Miss Sarah 
Childress, of Rutherford Co., Tenn. His bride was 
altogether worthy of him, — a lady of beauty and cul- 
ture. In the fall of 1825, Mr. Polk was chosen a 
member of Congress. The satisfaction which he gave 
to his constituents may be inferred from the fact, that 
for fourteen successive years, until 1 839, he was con- 
tinued in that office. He then voluntarily withdrew, 
only that he might accept the Gubernatorial chair 
of Tennessee. In Congress he was a laborious 
member, a frequent and a popular speaker. He was 
always in his seat, always courteous ; and whenever 
he spoke it was always to the [)oint, and without any 
ambitious rhetorical display. 

During five sessions of Congress, Mr. Polk was 
Speaker of the House Strong passions were roused, 
and stormy scenes were witnessed ; but Mr Polk per- 
formed his arduous duties to a very general satisfac- 
tion, and a unanimous vote of thanks to him was 
passed by the House as he withdrew on the 4th of 
March, 1S39. 

In accordance with .Soutlicni usage, Mr. Polk, as a 
candidate for Governor, canvassed the State. He was 
elected by a large majority, and on the 14th of Octo- 
ber, 1839, took the oath of office at Nashville. In 1841, 
his term of office expired, and he was again the can- 
didate of the Democratic party, bur was defeated. 

On the 4th of March, 1845, Mr. Polk was inaugur- 
ated President of the United States. The verdict of 
the country in favor of the annexationof Texas, exerted 
its influence upon Congress ; and the last act of the 
administration of President Tyler was to affix his sig- 
nature to a joint resolution of Congress, passed on the 
3d of March, approving of the annexation of Texas to 
the American Union. As Mexico still claimed Texas 
as one of her provinces, the Mexican minister, 
Almonte, immediately demanded his passiwrts and 
left the country, declaring the act of the annexation 
to be an act hostile to Mexico. 

In his first message. President Polk urged that 
Texas should immediately, by act of Congress, be re- 
ceived into the Union on the same footing with the 
other States. In the meantime, Gen. Taylor was sent 



with an army into Texas to hold the country. He was 
sent first to Nueces, which the Mexicans said was the 
western boundary of Texas. Then he was sent nearly 
two hundred miles further west, to the Rio Grande, 
where he erected batteries which commanded the 
Mexican city of Matamoras, which was situated on 
the western banks. 

The anticipated collision soon took |)lace, and war 
was declared against Mexico by President Polk. The 
war was pushed forward by Mr. Polk's administration 
with great vigor. Gen. Taylor, whose army was first 
called one of "observation," then of "occupation," 
then of "invasion, "was sent forward to Monterey. The 
feeble Mexicans, in every encounter, were hopelessly 
and awfully slaughtered. The day of judgement 
alone can reveal the misery which this war caused. 
It was by the ingenuity of Mr. Polk's administration 
that the war was brought on. 

' To the victors belong the six)ils." Mexico was 
prostrate before us. Her capital was in our hands. 
We now consented to peace ujxjn the condition that 
Mexico should surrender to us, in addition to Texas, 
all of New Mexico, and all of Upper and Lower Cal- 
ifornia. This new demand embraced, exclusive of 
Texas, eight hundred thousand square miles. This 
was an extent of territor)' eipial to nine States of the 
size of New York. Thus slavery was securing eighteen 
majestic States to be added to the Union. There were 
some Americans who thought it all right : there were 
others who thought it all wrong. In the prosecution 
of this war, we expended twenty thousand lives and 
more than a hundred million of dollars. Of this 
money fifteen millions were paid to Mexico. 

On the 3d of March, 1849, Mr. Polk retired from 
office, having served one term. The next day was 
Sunday. On the 5th, Gen. Taylor was inaugurated 
as his successor. Mr. Polk rode to the Capitol in the 
same carriage with Gen. Taylor; and the same even- 
ing, with Mrs. Polk, he commenced his return to 
Tennessee. He was then but fifty-four years of age. 
He had ever been strictly temperate in all his habits, 
and his health was good With an ample fortune, 
a choice library, a cultivated mind, and domestic ties 
of the dearest nature, it seemed as though long years 
of tranquility and hap|>iness were before him. But the 
cholera — that fearful scourge— was then swee|)iiig up 
the Valley of the Mississippi. This he contracted, 
and died on the isth of June, 1S49, in the fifty-fourth 
year of his age, greatly mourned by his countrymen. 



^ 



/S 



>: 






r 






i\^))^^^ 



^^^^ 



-^m'^M<y^ — ^^^^ 




:2i€S^ 



X >tlll^(m>>:^r- 

TIVELFTH PRESIDENT. 



■>i'^i 







TAYI,OX^ 






I 



^.^.\ ■v A^VA_.v.\ -v -v.-i-v v^ji -v-v; . V. v.\.\ :jj. 



., ACHARY TAYLOR, iwcllih 
4) I'rtsideiit of the United States, 
Jj)* was born on tlie 24tli of Nov., 
1784, in Orange Co., Va. His 
« father, Colonel Taylor, was 
a Virginian of note, and a dis- 
'^ tinguished patriot and soldier of 
the Revolution. When Zaehary 
was an infant, his father withliis 
wife and two children, emigrated 
to Kentucky, wliere he settled in 
the pathless wilderness, a few 
miles from Louisville. In this front- 
ier home, away from civilization and 
all its refinements, young Zachary 
S^ could enjoy luit few social and educational advan- 
^ tages. When si.x years of age he attended a common 
V ) school, and was then regarded as a bright, active boy, 
rather remarkable for bluntness and decision of char- 
acter He was strong, feailess and self-reliant, and 
manifested a strong desire to enter tlie army to fight 
the Indians who were ravaging the frontiers. There 
is little to be recorded of the uneventful years of his 
childhood on his father's large but lonely plantation. 
In 1808, his father succeeded in obtaining for him 
the commission of lieutenant in the United States 
army ; and he joined the troops which were stationed 
at New Orleans under Gen. Wilkinson. Soon after 
this he married Miss Margaret Smith, a young lady 
from one of the first families of Maryland. 

Immediately after the declaration of war with Kng- 

(g\ land, in 1812, Capt. Taylor (for he had then been 

I promoted to that rank) was put in command of Fort 

- Harrison, on the Wabash, about fifty miles above 

Vincennes. This fort had been built in the wilder- 

^K ness by Gen. Harrison, on liis march to Tippecanoe. 

(® It was one of the first points of attack by the Indians, 

^ led by Tecumseh. Its garrison consisted of a broken 

^^V«/)^#- ^^^- ^-^^DE 



company of inlantry nmnbermn fifty men, many of 
whom were sick. 

Early in the autunni df iSij, the Indians, stealthily, 
and in large numbers, moved upon the fort. Their 
approach was first indicated by the murder of two 
soldiers just outside of the stockade. Capt. Taylor 
made every possible prei)aration to meet the antici- 
pated assault. On the 4th of September, a band of 
forty painted and plumed savages came to the fort, 
waving a white flag, and informed Capt. 'Taylor that 
in the morning their chief would come to have a talk 
with him. It was evident that their object was merely 
to ascertain the state of things at the fort, and Capt. 
Taylor, well versed in the wiles of the savages, kept 
them at a distance. 

The sun went down; the savages disaiipeared, the 
garrison slept upon their arms. One hour before 
midnight the war whoop burst from a thousand lips 
in the forest around, followed by the discharge of 
musketry, and the rush of the foe. Every man, sick 
and well, sprang to his post. Every man knew that 
defeat was not merely death, but in the case of cap- 
ture, death by the most agonizing and prolonged tor- 
ture. No pen can describe, no immagination can 
conceive the scenes which ensued. 'The savages suc- 
ceeded in setting fire to one of the block-iiouses- 
Until si.x o'clock in the morning, this awful conflict 
continued. 'The savages then, baffled at every point, 
and gnashing their teeth with rage, retired. Capt. 
'Taylor, for this gallant defence, was promoted to the 
rank of major by brevet. 

Until the close of the war, Major'Taylor was placed 
in such situations that he saw but little more of active 
service. He was sent far away into the depths of the 
wilderness, tt) Fort Crawford, on Fo.x River, which 
empties into Green Hay. Here there was but little 
to be done but to wear away the tedious hours as one 
best could. 'Tliere were no books, no society, no in- 









_:y\.-y'^\n<_ 



t 

i 



s^^ 




ZACHAR V 



I 

i 






^ 



V 

> 



o> 



1 



tellectual stimulus. Thus with him the uneventful 
years rolled on Gradually he rose to the rank of 
colonel. In the Black-Hawk war, which resulted in 
the capture of that renowned chieftain, Col Taylor 
took a subordinate but a brave and efficient part. 

For twenty-four years Col. Taylor was engaged in 
the defence of the frontiers, in scenes so remote, and m 
employments so obscure, that his name was unknown 
beyond the limits of his own immediate acc4uaintance. 
In the year 1836, he was sent to Florida to compel 
the Seminole Indians to vacate that region and re- 
tire l>eyond the Mississippi, as their chiefs l)y treaty, 
had promised they should do. The services rendered 
here secured for Col, Taylor the high appreciation of 
the Government; and as a reward, he was elevated 
to the rank of brigadier-general by brevet ; and soon 
after, in May, 1838, was appointed to the chief com- 
mand of the United States troops in Florida. 

After two years of sucli wearisome employment 
amidst the everglades of tlie peninsula. Gen. Taylor 
obtained, at his own retp.iest, a change of command, 
and was stationed over the Department of the South- 
west. This field embraced Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama and tieorgia. Establishing his headi|uarters 
at Fort Jessup, in Louisiana, he removed his family 
to a plantation which lie purchased, near Baton Rogue. 
Here he remained for five years, buried, as it were, 
from the world, but faithfully discharging every duty 
imposed u|)on him. 

In 1846, den. Taylor was sent to guard the land 
between the Nueces and Rio (rrande, the latter river 
being tlie boundary of Texas, which was then claimed 
by the United States. Soon tlie war with Me.xico 
was Ijrought on, and at Palo Alto and Resaca de la 
Raima, Gen. Taylor won brilliant victories over the 
Mexicans. The rank of major-general by brevet 
was then conferred upon Gen. Taylor, and his name 
was received with enthusiasm almost everywhere in 
the Nation. Then came the battles of Monterey and 
Buena Vista in which he won signal victories over 
forces much larger than he commanded. 

His careless habits of dress and liis unaffected 
simplicity, secured for Gen. Taylor among his troops, 
\.\\e sohrii/uet of "Old Rough and Ready.' 

The titiings of the brilliant victory of Buena Vista 
spread tlie wildest enthusiasm over the country. The 
name of Gen. Taylor was on every one's lips. The 
Whig party decided to take advantage of this wonder- 
ful [jopularity in bringing forward the unpolished, un- 
lettered, honest soldier as tiieir candidate for the 
Presidency, (ien. Taylor was astonished at the an- 
nouncement, and for a time would not listen to it; de- 
claring that he was not at all (]ualified for such an 
office. So little interest had he taken in politics that, 
for forty years, he had not cast a vote. It was not 
without chagrin that several distinguished statesmen 
who had l)een long years in the public service found 
their claims set aside in behalf of one whose name 




I 



had never been heard of, save in connection with Palo 
Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey and Buena 
Vista. It is said that Daniel Webster, in his haste re- 
marked, " It is a nomination not fit to be made." % 

Gen. Taylor was not an elo(iuent speaker nor a fine [^ 
writer His friends took possession of him, and pre- v/-^ 
pared such few communications as it was needful 
should be presented to the public. The jwpularity of 
the successful warrior swept the land. He was tri- 
umphantly elected over two opposing candidates, — 
(jen. Cass and Ex-President Martin Van Buren. 
Though he selected an excellent cabinet, the good 
old man found himself in a very uncongenial ixjsitioii, 
and was, at times, sorely perplexed and harassed. 
His mental sufferings were very severe, and probably 
tended to hasten his death. The pro-slavery party 
was pushing its claims with tireless energy , expedi- 
tions were fitting out to capture Cuba ; California was 
pleading for admission to the Union, while slavery 
stood at the door to bar her out. Gen. Taylor found 
the political conflicts in Washington to be far more 
trying to the nerves than battles with Mexicans or 
Indians. 

In the midst of all these troubles. Gen. Taylor, 
after he had occupied the Presidential chair but little 
over a year, took cold, and after a brief sickness of 
but little over five days, died on the 9th of July, 1S50. 
His last words were, " I am not afraid to die. I am 
ready. I liave endeavored to do my duty." He died 
universally respected and beloved. An honest, un- ^ 
pretending man, he had been steadily growing in the ^*</ 
affections of the people; and the Nation bitterly la- *^ 
mented his deatli. 

Gen. Scott, who was thoroughly actpiainted with 
Gen. Taylor, gave the following graphic and truthful 
description of his character: — " With a good store of 
common sense, Gen. Taylor's mind had not been en- 
larged and refreshed by reading, or much converse 
with the world. Rigidity of ideas was the cc.se- 



(> 






c-oe 



G 



sk 



(juence. The frontiers and small military posts aad 
been his home. Hence he was (piiie ignorant f 
rank, and quite bigoted in his ignorance. His sim- 
plicity was child-like, and with innumerable preju- 
dices, amusing and incorrigible, well suited to the 
tender age. Thus, if a man, however respectable, 
chanced to wear a coat of an unusual color, or his hat 
a little on one side of his head ; or an officer to leave 
a corner of his handkerchief dangling from an out- 
side pocket, — in any such case, this critic held the 
offender to be a coxcomb (perhaps somethingworse), (^ 
whom he would not, to use his oft rejieated piirase, j 
'touch with a pair of tongs.' t 

"Any allusion to literature beyond good old Dil- ^'^ 
worth's spelling-book, on the jxirt of one wearing a '^- 
sword, was evidence, with the same judge, of utter 
unfitness for heavy marchings and combats. In short, 
few men have ever had a more comfortable, labor- 
saving contempt for learning of every kind." 




....^y^/^^^,^^ j^S.1^^^ 







I ^' MILLflRn FILLfflnHE. ^ | 



-^@^ t 1 1 @^-^ 





ILL\Rn FILLMORE, thir- 
•rfi, "^ j?f%#ll tecnth I'rcsideiit of the United 

A ^ f'Jt§l\ ^ "^titL-., was born at Sumnicr 
j Hill Cayuga Co., X. V ., on 
^^^2o the 7th of laiiiiarv, iSoo. His 
^-^ f ither was a farmer, and ow- 
in^ to misfortune, in humble cii- 
Luuibtmces. Of his mother, the 
daughter of Dr. Abiathar Millard, 
of Pittsfield, Mass., it has been 
said that she possessed an intellect 
of very high order, united with much 
personal loveliness, sweetness of dis- 
lX)sition, graceful manners and ex- 
(juisite sensibilities. .'^he died in 
1 83 1 ; having lived to see her son a 
young man of distinguished prom- 
ise, though she was not permitted to witness the high 
dignity which he finally attained. 

In consecpience of the secluded home and limited 
means of his father, Millard enjoyed but slender ad- 
vantages for education in his early years. The com- 
mon schools, which he occasionally attended were 
very imperfect institutions; and books were scarce 
and expensive. There was nothing then in his char- 
acter to indicate the brilliant career upon which he 
was about to enter. He was a plain farmer's boy ; 
intelligent, good-looking, kind-hearted. The sacred 
influences of home had taught him to revere the Bible, 
and had laid the foundations of an ufiright character. 
When fourteen years of age, his father sent him 
some hundred miles from home, to the then wilds of 
Livingston County, to learn the trade of a clothier. 



Neav the mill there was a small villiage, where some 



enterprising man had commenced the collection of a 
village library. This proved an inestimable blessing 
to young Fillmore. His evenings were spent in read- 
ing. Soon every leisure moment was occupied with 
books. His thirst for knowledge became insatiate; 
and the selections which he made were continually 
more elevating and instructive. He read history, 
biography, oratory, and thus gradually there was en- 
kindled in his heart a desire to be something more 
than a mere worker with his hands; and he was be- 
coming, almost unknown to himself, a well-informed, 
educated man. 

The young clothier had now attained the age of 
nineteen years, and was of fine personal ajjpearance 
and of gentlemanly demeanor. It so happened that 
there was a gentleman in the neighborhood of ample 
pecuniary means and of benevolence, — Judge Walter 
Wood, — who was struck with the prepossessing ap- 
pearance of young Fillmore. He made his acquaint- 
ance, and was so much impressed with his ability and 
attainments that he advised him to abandon his 
trade and devote himself to the study of the law. The 
young man replied, that he had no means of his own, 
r.o friends to help him and that his previous educa- 
tion had been very imperfect. But Judge Wood had 
so much confidence in him that he kindly offered to 
take him into his own office, and to loan him such 
money as he needed. Most gratefully the generous 
offer was accepted. 

There is in many minds a strange delusion about 
a collegiate education. A young man is supposed to 
be liberally educated if he has graduated at some col- 
lege. But many a boy loiters through university hails 
and then enters a law office, who is by no means as 



I 



c^: 






-4>^^ 





^^^ 



T^C^^ 



MTLLARD 



FTLLMORE. 



4^^K^V\^^ 



I 

I 






V 

I 



-^ 






well prepared to prosecute his legal studies as was 
Millard Fillmore when he graduated at the clothing- 
mill at the end of four years of manual labor, during 
which every leisure moment had been devoted to in- 
tense mental culture. 

In 1823, when twenty-three years of age, he was 
admitted to the Court of Common Pleas. He then 
went to the village of Aurora, and commenced the 
practice of law. In this secluded, peaceful region, 
his practice of course was limited, and there was no 
opportunity for a sudden rise in fortune or in fame. 
Here, in the year 1826, he married a lady of great 
moral worth, and one capable of adorning any station 
she might be called to fill, — Miss Abigail Powers. 

His elevation of character, his untiring industry, 
his legal acquirements, and his skill as an advocate, 
gradually attracted attention ; and he was invited to 
enter into partnership under highly advantageous 
circumstances, with an elder member of the bar in 
Buffalo. Just before removing to Buffalo, in 1829, 
he took his seat in the House of Assembly, of the 
State of New York, as a representative from Erie 
County. Though he had never taken a very active 
part in politics, his vote and his sympathies were with 
the Whig party. The State was then Democratic, 
and he found himself in a helpless minority in the 
Legislature , still the testimony comes from all parlies, 
that his courtesy, ability and integrity, won, to a very 
unusual degree the respect of his associates. 

In the autumn of 1832, he was elected to a seat in 
the United States Congress He entered that troubled 
arena in some of the most tumultuous hours of our 
national history. The great conflict respecting the 
national bank and the removal of the deposits, was 
then raging. 

His term of two years closed ; and he returned to 
his profession, which he pursued with increasing rep- 
utation and success. After a lapse of two years 
he again became a candidate for Congress ; was re- 
elected, and took his seat in 1837. His past expe- 
rience as a representative gave him strength and 
confidence. The first term of service in Congress to 
any man can be but little more than an introduction. 
He was now prepared for active duty. All his ener- 
gies were brought to bear upon the public good. Every 
measure received his impress. 

Mr. Fillmore was now a man of wide repute, and 
his popularity filled the State, and in the year 1847, 
he was elected Comptroller of the State. 



«^ 



A 



Mr. Fillmore had attained the age of forty-seven 
years. His labors at the bar, in the Legislature, in 
Congress and as Comptroller, had given him very con- 
siderable fame. The Whigs were casting about to 
find suitable candidates for President and Vice-Presi- 
dent at the approaching election. Far away, on the 
waters of the Rio Grande, there was a rough old 
soldier, who had fought one or two successful battles 
with the Mexicans, which had caused his name to be 
proclaimed in trumpet-tones all over the land. But 
it was necessary to associate with him on the same 
ticket some man of reputation as a statesman. 

Under the influence of these considerations, the 
namesof Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore became 
the rallying-cry of the Whigs, as their candidates for 
President and Vice-Peesident. The Whig ticket was 
signally triumphant. On the 4th of March, 1849, 
Gen. Taylor was inaugurated President, and Millard 
Fillmore Vice-President, of the United States. 

On the 9th of July, 1850, President Taylor, but 
about one year and four months after his inaugura- 
tion, was suddenly taken sick and died. By the Con- 
stitution, Vice-President Fillmore thus became Presi- ^ 
dent. He appointed a very able cabinet, of which ^' 
the illustrious Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. ^ 

Mr. Fillniore had very serious difficulties to contend ^ 
with, since the opiX)sition had a majority in both • 
Houses. He did everything in his power to conciliate 
the South ; but the pro-slavery party in the South felt 
the inadequacyof all measuresof transient conciliation. 
The population of the free States was so rapidly in- 
creasing over that of the slave States that it was in- 
evitable that the power of the Government should 
soon pass into the hands of the free States. The 
famous compromise measures were adopted under Mr. 
Fillmore's adminstration, and the Japan Expedition 
was sent out. On the 4th of ^Larch, 1853, Mr. Fill- 
more, having served one term, retired. 

In 1856, Mr. Fillmore was nominated for the Pres- 
idency by the " Know Nothing " party, but was beaten 
by Mr. Buchanan. After that Mr. Fillmore lived in 
retirement. During the terrible conflict of civil war, 
he was mostly silent. It was generally supposed that 
his sympathies were rather with those who were en- 
deavoring to overthrow our institutions. President 
Fillmore kept aloof from the conflict, without any 
cordial words of cheer to the one party or the other. 
He was thus forgotten by both. He lived to a ripe 
old age, and died in Buffalo. N. Y., March 8, 1874. 






r 



S-t^-Sl 



■A<- 



•^A;9 =«J*^ 



I 




'^/^ly/^^^M^ 



m 



■^^i<99~ 



^-x^ 



TZ'Svk^' 



:K^>tiii^.nii>> 



FOUR TKKNTU PRESIDENT 



7' 









>? 



V 



<Q^ 




jlSrfGaa*^ •-•?=:! 



..-a«A3i^? 




ie ^'FRANKLIN PIERCE.'^ « 






't^i;'@'y-- ^--t.AA£^fe4k4-tA .t..A>^^^ 



J^ 







, , -*r ,. . . 



JymC*'"^' •-•5:;' 



flu I?* 9 

""'' * RANKLIN PIERCE, the 

fourteenth President of the 
■ L nited States, was born in 
Hillsboroui;h, N. H., Nov. 
23, 1804. His father was a 
RevoUitionary soldier, who, 
with liis own strong arm, 
hewed out a home in the 
wilderness. He was a man 
of inflexible integrity; of 
strong, though uncultivated 
mind, and an uncompromis- 
ing Democrat. The mother of 
Franklin Pierce was all that a son 
could desire, — an intelligent, pru- 
dent, affectionate, Christian wom- 
an. Franklin was the sixth of eight children. 

Franklin was a very bright and handsome boy, gen- 
erous, warm-hearted and brave. He won alike the 
love of old and young. The boys on the play ground 
loved him. His teachers loved him. The neighbors 
looked ujxjn him with pride and affection. He was 
by instinct a gentleman; always speaking kind words, 
doing kind deeds, with a peculiar unstudied tact 
which taught him what was agreeable. Without de- 
veloping any precocity of genius, or any unnatural 
devotion to books, he was a good scholar ; in body, 
in mind, in affections, a finely-developed toy. 

When sixteen years of age, in the year 1820, he 
entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Me He was 
one of the most jwpular young men in the college. 
The purity of his moral character, the unvarying 
courtesy of his demeanor, his rank as a scholar, and 




==.-. "««■<>? ^; 




genial nature, rendered him a universal favorite. 
There was something very peculiarly winning in his 
address, and it was evidently not in the slightest de- 
gree studied : it was the simple outgushing of his 
own magnanimous and loving nature. 

Upon graduating, in the year 1824, Franklin Pierce 
commenced the study of law in the office of Judge 
Woodbury, one of the most distinguished lawyers of 
the State, and a man of great private worth. The 
eminent social qualities of the young lawyer, his 
father's prominence as a public man, and the brilliant 
political career into which Judge Woodbury was en- 
tering, all tended to entice Mr. Pierce into the faci- 
nating yet perilous path of political life. With all 
the ardor of his nature he espoused the cause of Gen. 
Jackson for the Presidency. He commenced the 
practice of law in Hillsborough, and was soon elected 
to represent the town in the State Legislature. Here 
he served for four yeais. The last two years he was 
chosen speaker of the house by a very large vote. 

In 1833, at the age of twenty-nine, he was elected 
a member of Congress. Without taking an active 
part in debates, he was faithful and laborious in duty, 
and ever rising in the estimation of those with whom 
he was associatad. 

In 1837, being then but thirty-three years of age, 
he was elected to the Senate of the United States; 
taking his seat just as Mr. Van Buren commenced 
his administration. He was the youngest memberin 
the Senate. In the year 1834. he married Miss Jane 
Means Appleton, a lady of rare beauty and accom- 
plishments, and one admirably fitted to adorn every 
station with wiiich her husband was honoied. Of the 



A 



c^: 






r 

i 




4^^f 



FRANKLIN PIERCE. 



three sons who were born to them, all now sleep with 
their parents in the grave. 

In the year 1838, Mr. Pierce, with growing fame 
and increasing business as a lawyer, took up his 
(^ . residence in Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. 
President Polk, upon his accession to office, appointed 
Mr. Pierce attorney-general of the United States; but 
the offer was declined^ in consequence of numerous 
professional engagements at home, and the precariuos 
state of Mrs. Pierce's health. He also, about the 
same time declined the nomination for governor by the 
Democratic party. The war with Mexico called Mr. 
Pierce in the army. Receiving the appointment of 
brigadier-general, he embarked, with a portion of his 
troops, at Newport, R. I., on the 27th of May, 1847. 
He took an imjxjrtant part in this war, proving him- 
self a brave and true soldier. 

When Gen. Pierce reached his home in his native 
State, he was received enthusiastically by the advo- 
cates of the Mexican war, and coldly by his oppo- 
nents. He resumed the practice of his profession, 
very frequently taking an active part in political (jues- 
tions, giving his cordial support to the pro-slavery 
wing of the Democratic party. The compromise 
measures met, cordially with his approval; and he 
strenuously advocated the enforcement of the infa- 
mous fugitive-slave law, which so shocked the religious 
sensibilities of the North. He thus became distin- 
guished as a " Northern man with Southern principles.'' 
The strong partisans of slavery in the South conse- 
quently regarded him as a man whom they could 
safely trust in office to carry out their plans. 

On the I 2th of June, 1852, the Democratic conven- 
tion met in Baltimore to nominate a candidate for the 
Presidency. For four days they continued in session, 
and in thirty-five ballotings no one had obtained a 
two-thirds vote. Not a vote thus far had been thrown 
for Gen. I'ierce. Then the Virginia delegation 
brought forward his name. There were fourteen 
more ballotings, during which Gen. Pierce constantly 
gained strength, until, at the forty-ninth ballot, he 
received two hundred and eighty-two votes, and all 
other candidates eleven. Gen. Winfield Scott was 
the Whig candidate, (ien. Pierce was chosen with 
great unanimity. Only four States — Vermont, Mas- 
sachusetts, Kentucky and Tennessee — cast their 
-i7> electoral votes against him Gen. Franklin Pierce 
(® was therefore inaugurated President of the United 
^ States on the 4th of March, 1S53. 



) 






i^' 



V 



I 







His administration proved one of the most stormy our 
country had ever experienced. The controversy be- 
tween slavery and freedom was then approaching its 
culminating jwint. It became evident that there was 
an " irrepressible conflict " between them, and that 
this Nation could not long exist " half slav.e and half 
free." President Pierce, during the whole of his ad- 
ministration, did every thing he could to conciliate 
the South ; but it was all in vain. The conflict every 
year grew more violent, and threats of the dissolution 
of the Union were borne to the North on every South- 
ern breeze. 

Such was the condition of affairs when President 
Pierce approached the close of his four-years' term 
of office. 'I'he North had become thoroughly alien- 
ated from him. The anti-slavery sentiment, goaded 
by great outrages, had been rapidly increasing; all 
the intellectual ability and social worth of President 
Pierce were forgotten in deep reprehension of his ad- 
ministrative acts. The slaveholders of the South, also, 
unmindful of the fidelity with which he had advo- 
cated those measures of Government which they ajv 
proved, and perhaps, also, feeling that he had 
rendered himself so unpopular as no longer to be 
able acceptably to serve them, ungratefully dropped 
him, and nominated James Buchanan to succeed him. 
On the 4th of March, 1857, President Pierce re- 
tired to his home in Concord. Of three children, two 
had died, and his only surviving child had been 
killed before his eyes by a railroad accident ; and his 
wife, one of the most estimable and accomplished of 
ladies, was rapidly sinking in consumption. The 
hour of dreadful gloom soon came, and he was left 
alone in the world, without wife or child. 

When the terrible Rebellion burst forth, which di- 
vided our country into two i)arties, and two only, Mr. 
Pierce remained steadfast in the principles which he 
had always cherished, and gave his sympathies to 
that pro-slaver)' party with which he had ever been 
allied. He declined to do anything, either by voice 
or pen, to strengthen the hand of the National Gov- 
ernment. He continued to reside in Concord until 
the time of his death, which occurred in October, 
1869. He was one of the most genial and social of ^^ 
men, an honored communicant of the Episcopal ;|^; 
Church, and one of the kindest of neighbors. Gen- ^ 
erous to a fault, he contributed liberally for the al- ^ 
leviation of suffering and want, and many of his towns- v* 
people were often gladened by his material bounty. -^ 



f 



c 



^: 



c 



\<y^- 



.^5y?'?>e?l. 



■'HB 








'^^/^n^^ (^^'^^'^co^^if^'PZ'^^^^Pi^ 




j'/FTEENTH PRESIDENT. 







'.I ."i' ." i'.; v.^'.^ '^' it.; 



i',s "RiTCfM-aamMo m 






AMES BUCHANAN, the fif- 
teenth President of the United 
States, was born in a small 
frontier town, at the foot of the 
eastern ridge of the Allegha- 
nies, in Franklin Co., Penn., on 
tlie 23d of April, 1791. The place 
wliere the humble cabin of his 
father stood was called Stony 
Hatter. It was a wild and ro- 
mantic spot in a gorge of the moun- 
tains, with towering summits rising 
grandly all around. His father 
was a native of the north of Ireland ; 
a poor man, who had emigrated in 
1783, with little property save his 
own strong arms. Five years afterwards he married 
Elizabeth Spear, the daughter of a respectable farmer, 
and, with his young bride, plunged into the wilder- 
ness, staked his claim, reared his log-hut, opened a 
clearing with his axe, and settled down there to per- 
form his obscure part in the drama of life. In this se- 
cluded home, where James was i)orn, he remained 
for eight years, enjoying but few social or intellectual 
advantages. When James was eight years of age, his 
father removed to the village of Mercersburg, where 
' his son was placed at school, and commenced a 
1 course of study in English, Latin and Creek. His 
^§? progress was rapid, and at the age of fourteen, he 
W. entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle. Here he de- 
X^ veloped remarkable talent, and took his stand among 
•' the first scholars in the institution. His application 
^ to study was intense, and yet his native powers en- 

^^^^^^ — ^tK^hh 



ablcd him to master the most abstruse subjects will: 
facility. 

In the year I S09, he graduated with the highest 
honors of his class. He was then eighteen years of 
age; tall and graceful, vigorous in health, fond of 
athletic sport, an unerring shot, and enlivened with 
an exuberant flow of animal spirits. He immediately 
commenced the study of law in the city of Lancaster, 
and was admitted to the bar in 1812, when he was 
but twenty-one years of age. Very rapidly he rose 
in his profession, and at once took undisputed stand 
with the ablest lawyers of the State. When but 
twenty-six years of age, unaided by counsel, he suc- 
cessfully defended before the State Senate one of the 
judges of the State, who was tried upon articles of 
impeachment. At the age of thirty it was generally 
admitted that he stood at the head of the bar; and 
there was no lawyer in the State who had a more lu- 
crative practice. 

In 1820, he reluctantly consented to run as a 
candidate for Congress. He was elected, and for 
ten years he remained a member of the Lower House. 
During the vacations of Congress, he occasionall/ 
tried some important case. In 1S31, he retired 
altogether from the toils of his iirofession, having .t'- 
([uired an ample fortune. 

Gen. Jackson, uiwn his elevation to the Presidency, 
appointed Mr. Buchanan minister to Russia. The 
duties of his mission he performed with ability, which 
gave satisfaction to all jxirties. l"pon his return, in 
1833, he was elected to a seat in the United States 
Senate. He there met, as his associates, Webster, 
Clay, Wright and Calhoun. He advo<:ated the meas- 
ures proposed by President Jackson, of making repri- 



9 



c^: 



4 



(^ 



'^M'^ 



£X. 



-cs^^^ 



M 




A 

1=1 



(^ 



sals against France, to enforce the payment of our 
claims against that country ; and defended the course 
of the President in his unprecedented and wholesale 
removal from office of those wiio were not the sup- 
porters of his administration. Upon this question he 
was brought into direct collision with Henry Clay. 
He also, with voice and vote, advocated expunging 
from the journal of the Senate the vote of censure 
against (ien. Jackson for removing the deposits. 
Earnestly he opposed the abolition of slavery in the 
District of Columbia, and urged the prohibition of the 
circulation of anti-slavery documents by the United 
States mails. 

As to petitions on the subject of slavery, he advo- 
cated that they should be respectfully received; and 
that the reply should be returned, that Congress had 
no power to legislate upon the subject. " Congress," 
said he, " might as well undertake to interfere with 
slavery under a foreign government as in any of the 
States where it now exists." 

U[X)n Mr. Polk's accession to the Presidency, Mr. 
Buchanan became Secretary of Slate, and as such, 
took his share of the responsibility in the conduct of 
the Mexican War. Mr. Polk assumed that crossing 
the Nueces by the American troops into the disputed 
territory was not wrong, but for the Mexicans to cross 
the Rio Orande into that territory was a declaration 
of war. No candid man can read with pleasure the 
account of the course our (lovernment |)ursuedin that 
movement. 

Mr. Buchanan identified liimself thoroughly with 
the party devoted to the perpetuation and extension 
of slavery, and brought all the energies of his mind 
to bear against the Wilmot Proviso. He gave his 
cordial approval to the compromise measures of 1050, 
which included the fugitive-slave law, Mr. Pierce, 
upon his election to the Presidency, honored Mr. 
Buchanan with the mission to England. 

In the year 1856, a national Democratic conven- 
tion nominated Mr. Buchanan for the Presidency. The 
political conflict was one of the most severe in which 
our country has ever engaged. All the friends of 
slavery were on one side; all the advocates of its re- 
striction and final aliolition, on the other. Mr. Fre- 
mont, the candidate of the enemies of slavery, re- 
ceived 114 electoral votes. Mr. Buchanan received 
174, and was elected. The popular vote stood 
1,340,618, for Fremont, 1,224,750 for Buchanan. On 
March 4th, 1857, Mr. Buchanan was inaugurated. 

Mr. Buchanan was far advanced in life. Only four 
years were wanting to fill up his threescore years and 
ten. His own friends, those with whom he had been 
allied in political principles and action for years, were 
seeking the destruction of the Government, that they 
might rear upon the ruins of our free institutions a 
nation whose corner-stone should be human slavery. 
In this emergency, Mr. Buchanan was hopelessly be- 
wildered. He could not, with his long-avowed prin- 



g\®)>€^f^ 



j::^-X 



<m 



ciples, consistently oppose the State-rights party in 
their assumptions. As President of the United States, 
bound by his oath faithfully to administer the laws, 
he could not, without perjury of the grossest kind, 
unite with those endeavoring to overthrow the repub- 
lic. He therefore did nothing. 

The opixjuents of Mr. Buchanan's administration 
nominated Abraham Lincoln as their standard bearer 
in the next Presidential canvass. The pro-slavery 
party declared, that if he were elected, and the con- 
trol of the Ciovernment were thus taken from their 
hands, they would secede from the Union, taking 
with them, as they retired, the National Capitol at 
Washington, and the lion's share of the territory of 
the United States. 

Mr. Buchanan's sympathy with the pro-slavery 
party was such, that he had been willing to offer them 
far more than they had ventured to claim. All the 
South had professed to ask of the North was non- 
intervention ujxjn the subject of slavery. Mr. Bu- 
chanan had been ready to offer them the active co- 
operation of the Government to defend and extend 
the institution. 

As the storm increased in violence, the slaveholders 
claiming the right to secede, and Mr. Buchanan avow- 
ing that Congress had no power to prevent it, one of 
the most |)itiable exhibitions of governmental im- 
becility was exhibited the world has ever seen. He 
declared that Congress had no power to enforce its 
laws in any State which had withdrawn, or which 
was attempting to withdraw from the Union. This 
was not the doctrine of Andrew Jackson, when, with 
his hand upon his sword-hilt, he exclaimed, "The 
Union must and shall be preserved.'" 

South Carolina seceded in December, i860; nearly 
three months before the inauguratiori of President 
Lincoln. Mr. Buchanan looked on in listless despair. 
The rebel flag was raised in Charleston; Fort Sumpter 
was besieged ; our forts, navy-yards and arsenals 
were seized ; our dejiols of military stores were plun- 
dered ; and our custom-houses and post-offices were 
appropriated by the rebels. 

The energy of the rebels, and the imbecility of our 
Executive, were alike marvelous. The Nation looked 
on in agony, waiting for the slow weeks to glide away, 
and close the administration, so terrible in its weak- 
ness At length the long-looked-for hour of deliver- 
ance came, when Abraham Lincoln was to receive the 
scepter. 

The administration of President I'uchaiian was 
certainly the most calamitous our country has ex- 
jierienced. His best friends cannot recall it with 
l)leasure. .^nd still more deplorable it is for his fame, 
that in that dreadful conflict which rolled its billows 
of flame and blood over our whole land, no word came 
from his li])s to indicate his wish that our countrv's 
banner should triumph over the flag of the rebellion. 
He died at his VVhealland retreat, June i, 1868. 



^ 



A 



>: 






> 

1 
i 



i 



.■♦♦■■. ■- ::< > 








< ABRAHAM > m>^<M < LINCOLN. 1>1 



5 i8< 



HRAHAM LINCOLN, the 
sixteenth President of the 
5I^United States, was liorn in 
lardin Co., Ky., Feb. 12, 
About tlie year 1780, a 
man by the name of Abraham 
Lincohi left Virginia with his 
family and moved into the then 
wildsof Kentucky. Only two years 
after this emigration, still a young 
man, while working one day in a 
field, was stealtiiily approached by 
an Indian and shot dead. His widow 
was left in extreme poverty with five 
little children, three boys and two 
girls. Thomas, the youngest of the 
boys, was four years of age at his 
father's death. This Thomas was 
the father of Abraham Lincoln, the 
President of the United States 
whose name must henceforth forever be enrolled 
with the most prominent in the annals of our world. 
Of- course no record has been kept of the life 
of one so lowly as Thomas Lincoln. He was among 
the [worest of the poor. His home was a wretched 
log -cabin; his food the coarsest and the meanest. 
Education he had none; he could never either read 
or write. As soon as he was able to do anything for 
himself, he was compelled to leave the cabin of his 
starving mother, and push out into the world, a friend- 
less, wandering boy, seeking work. He hired him- 
self out, and thus s|)ent the whole of his youth as a 
laborer in the fields of others. 

When twenty-eight years of age he buill a log- 
cabin of his own, and married Nancy Hanks, the 
daughter of another family of ])oor Kentucky emi- 
grants, who had also < ome from Virginia. Their 
second child was .'Vljraliam Lincoln, the subject of 
this sketch. Tlie mother of Abraham was a noble 
woman, gentle, loving, pensive, created to adorn 
a palace, doomed to toil and pine, and die in a hovel. 
"All that I am, or hope to be," exclaims the grate- 
ful son "I owe to my angel-mother. 






When he was eight years of age, his father sold his 



cabin and small farm, and moved to Indiana. Where 
two years later his mother died. 

Abraham soon became the sciibe of the uncduc ated 
community around bin). He could not have had a 
better school than tliis to teacli him to jjut thoughts 
into words. He also becAme an eager reader. Lhe 
books he could obtain were few ; i)ut these he read 
and re-read until they were almost committed to 
memory. 

As the years rolled on, the lot of this lowly family 
was the usual lot of humanity. 'I'hrre were joys and 
griefs, weddings and funerals. Abraham's sister 
.Sarah, to whom he was tenderly attached, was mar- 
ried when a child of but fourteen years of age, and 
soon died. Tlie family was gradually scattered. Mr. 
Thomas Lincoln sold out his scpiatter's claim in lSjo, 
and emigrated to Macon C"o., 111. 

Abraham Lincoln was then twenty-one years of age. 
With vigorous hands he aided his father in rearing 
another log-cabin. Abraham worked diligently at this 
until he saw the family comfortably settled, and their 
small lot of enclosed prairie planted with corn, when 
he announced to his father his intention to leave 
home, and to go out into the world and seek his for- 
tune. Little did he or his friends imagine how bril- 
liant that fortune was to be. He saw the value of 
education, and was intensely earnest to improve his 
mind to the utmost of his jwwer. He saw the ruin 
which ardent spirits were causing, and became 
strictly temperate; refusing to allow a drop of intoxi- 
cating liquor to pass his lips. And he had read in 
God's word, "Thou shall not take the name of the 
Lord thy Ciod in vain ;" and a profane expression he 
was never heard to utter. Religion he revered. His 
morals were pure, and he was uncontaminated by a 
single vice. 

Young Abraham worked for a time as a hired laborer 
among the farmers. Then lie went to Springfield, 
where he was employed in building a large fiat-boat. 
In this he took a herd of swine, floated iheni dowt^ 
the Sangamon to the Illinois, and thence by the Mis- 
sissippi to New Orleans. Whatever Abraham Lin- 
coln undertook, he performed so faithfully as to give 
great satisfaction to his employers. In this adven- 



Co 

< 







ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



*Mi 






^ 



■O 



ture Ills employers were so well pleased, that upon 
his return they placed a store and mill under his care. 

In 1832, at the outbreak of the Black Hawk war, he 
enlisted and was chosen captain of a company. He 
returned to Sangamon County, and although only 23 
(i)j years of age, was a candidate for the Legislature, but 
T was defeated. He soon after received from Andrew 
Jackson the ai)i)ointmentof Postmaster of New Salem, 
His only post-oftice was his hat. .\11 tlie letters he 
received he carried there ready to deliver to those 
he chanced to meet. He studied surveying, and soon 
made this his business. In 1834 he again became a 
candidate for the Legislature, and was elected. Mr. 
Stuart, of Si)ringfield, advised him to study law. He 
walked from New Salem to Springfield, borrowed of 
Mr. Stuart a load of books, carried them back and 
began his legal studies. When the Legislature as- 
sembled he trudged on foot with his pack on his back 
one hundred miles to Vandalia, then the capital. In 
1836 he was re-elected to the Legislature. Here it 
was he first met Stephen A. Douglas. In 1839 he re- 
moved to Springfield and began the practice of law. 
His success with the jury was so great that he was 
soon engaged in almost every noted case in the circuit. 

In 1854 the great discussion began between Mr. 
Lincoln and Mr. Douglas, on the slavery (piestion. 
In the organization of the Republican party in Illinois, 
in 1856, he look an active part, and at once became 
one of the leaders in that party. Mr. Lincoln's 
speeches in opjwsition to Senator Douglas in the con- 
test in 1858 for a seat in the Senate, form a most 
notable part of his history- The issue was on the 
slavery (piestion, and he took the broad ground of 
the Declaration of Independence, that all men are 
created etpial. Mr. Lincoln was defeated in this con- 
test, but won a far liigher prize. 

The great Republican Convention met at Chicago 
on the i6th of June, i860. The delegates and 
strangers who crowded tlie city amounted to twenty- 
five thousand. .\^n immense building called "The 
Wigwam," was reared to accommodate tlie Conven- 
tion. There were eleven candidates for whom votes 
were thrown. William H. Seward, a man whose fame 
as a statesman had long filled the land, was the most 
prominent. It was generally supjwsed he would be 
the nominee. Abraham Lincoln, however, received 
the nomination on the third ballot. Little did he then 
dream of the weary years of toil and care, and the 
bloody death, to which that nomination doomed him: 
and as little did he dream that he was to render services 
to his country, which would fix upon him the eyes of 

!the whole civilized world, and which would give him 
..;i, aplaceinthe affections of his countrymen, second 
"i^ only, if second, to that of Washington. 
'^ Election day came and Mr. Lincoln received 180 
electoral votes out of 203 cast, and was, therefore, 
constitutionally elected President of the United States. 
The tirade of abuse that was poured upon this good 



^ 



and merciful man, especially by the slaveholders, was 
greater than upon any other man ever elected to this 
higii position. In February, i86i, .Mr. Lincoln started 
for Washington, stopi)ing in all the large cities on his 
way making speeches. The whole journey was frouglit 
with much danger. Many of the Southern States had 
already seceded, and several attempts at assassination 
were afterwards brought to light. A gang in Balti- 
more had arranged, uixjn his arrival to" get uj) a row," 
and in the confusion to make sure of his death with 
revolvers and hand-grenades. A detective unravelled 
the plot. A secret and special train was provided to 
take him from HarrisL'urg, through Baltimore, at an 
une.xpected hour of the night. The train started at 
half-past ten ; and to prevent any possible communi- 
cation on the part ot the Secessionists with their Con- 
federate gang in Baltimore, as soon as the train had 
started the telegraph-wires were cut. Mr. Lincoln 
reached Washington in safety and was inaugurated, 
although great an.xiety was felt by all loyal people. 

In the selection of his cabinet Mr. Lincoln gave 
to Mr. Seward the Department of State, and to other 
prominent opi)onents before the convention he gave 
imix)rtant iwsitions. 

During no other administration have the duties 
devolving upon the President been so manifold, and 
the resiwnsibilities so great, as those which fell to 
the lot of President Lincoln. Knowing this, and 
feeling liis own weakness and inability to meet, and in 
his own strength to cope with, the difficulties, he 
learned early to seek Divine wisdom and guidance in 
determining his plans, and Divine comfort in all his 
trials, both i)ersonal and national. Contrary to his 
own estimate of himself. Mr. Lincoln was one of the 
most courageous of men. He went directly into the 
rebel capital just as the retreating foe was leaving, 
with no guard but a few sailors. From the time he 
had left Springfield, in i86r, however, plans had been 
made for his assassination, and he at last fell a victim 
to one of them, .\pril 14, 1865, lie, with Gen. Grant, 
was urgently invited to attend Fords' Theater. It 
was announced that they would l.e ])resent. Gen. 
Grant, however, left the city. President Lincoln, feel- 
ing, witn his ciiaracteristic kindliness of heart, that 
it would be a disappointment if he should fail them, 
very reluctantly consented to go. While listening to 
the play an actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth 
entered the box where the President and family were 
seated, and fired a bullet into his brains. He died the 
next morning at seven o'clock. 

Never before, in the history of liie world was a nation 
plunged into such deep grief by the death of its ruler. 
Strong men met in the streets and wept in speechless 
anguish. It is not too much to say that a nation was 
in tears. His was a life which will filly become a 
model. His name as the savior of his country will 
live with that of Washington's, its father; his country- 
men being unable to decide which is the greater. 






V 



I 



V 






! 



■^^nnr-^nni^^^^ — ^^^"^^ 



4^Nf® 




(.5.; 





^^?tjU.-iy-' 




^i^^^s'e^ 




(^ 



'States. The early life of 
Andrew Johnson contains but 
the record of poverty, destitu- 
tion and friendlessness. He 
n lb born December 29, 
HI Raleigh, N. C. His parents, 
belonging to the class of the 
"poor whites " of the Soutli, were 
in such circumstances, that they 
could not confer even the slight- 
est advantages of education ufwu 
their child. When Andrew was five 
years of age, his father accidentally 
lost his life while heiorically endeavoring to save a 
friend from drowning. Until ten years of age, Andrew 
was a ragged boy about the streets, supported by the 
labor of his mother, who obtained her living with 
her own hands. 

He then, having never attended a school one day, 
and being unable either to read or write, was ap- 
prenticed to a tailor in his native town. A gentleman 
was in the habit of going to the tailor's shop occasion- 
ally, and reading to the boys at work tiiere. He often 
read from the speeches of distinguished British states- 
men. Andrew, who was endowed with a mind of more 
than ordinary native ability, became much interested 
in these speeches ; his ambition was roused, and he 
was inspired with a strong desire to learn to read. 

He accordingly applied himself to the alphabet, and 
with the assistance of some of his fellow-workmen, 
learned his letters. He then called upon the gentle- 
man to borrow the book of speeches. The owner, 



pleased with his zeal, not only gave him the book, 
but assisted him in learning to combine the letters 
into words. Under such difficulties he pressed on- 
ward laboriously, spending usually ten or twelve hours 
at work in the shop, and then robbing himself of rest 
and recreation to devote such time as he could to 
reading. 

He went to Tennessee in 1826, and located at 
Greenville, where he married a young lady who pos- 
sessed some education. Under her instructions he 
learned to write and cipher. He became prominent 
in the village debating society, and a favorite with 
the students of Greenville College. In 1828, he or- 
ganized a working man's party, which elected him 
alderman, and in 1830 elected him mayor, which 
position he held three years. 

He now began to take a lively interest in political 
affairs; identifying himself with the working-classes, 
to which he belonged. In 1835, he was elected a 
member of the House of Representatives of Tennes- 
see. He was then just twenty-seven years of age. 
He became a very active member of the legislature, 
gave his adhesion to the Democratic party, and in 
1840 "stumped the State," advocating Martin Van 
Buren's claims to the Presidency, in opposition to those 
of Gen. Harrison. In this campaign he acquired much 
readiness as a speaker, and extended and increased 
his reputation. 

In 1841, he was elected State Senator; in 1843, he 
was elected a member of Congress, and by successive 
elections, held that important post for ten years. In 
1853, he was elected Governor of Tennessee, and 
was re-elected in 1855. In all these responsible [XDsi- 
tions, he discharged his duties with distinguished abil- 



S^ 

• 



t 






<^^^^^- 



Q^N^-^I 



]<> 



Z-O- 



-^^^ 





:<|^' 



ANDREW JOHNSON. 



":2*>^iiS^' 



(h 






2 



^ 



y 



ity, and proved himself the warm friend of the work- 
ing classes. In 1857, Mr. Johnson was fleeted 
United States Senator. 

Years before, in 1845, he had warmly advocated 
the annexation of Texas, stating however, as his 
reason, that he thought this annexation would prob- 
ably prove " to be the gateway out of which the sable 
sons of Africa are to pass from bondage to freedom, 
and become merged in a population congenial to 
themselves." In 1850, he also supported the com- 
promise measures, the two essential features of which 
were, that the white people of the Territories should 
be permitted to decide for themselves whether they 
would enslave the colored people or not, and that 
the free States of the North should return to the 
South persons who attempted to escape from slavery. 

Mr. Johnson was neverashamedof his lowly origin: 
on the contrary, he often took pride in avowing that 
he owed his distinction to his own exertions. "Sir,'" 
said he on the floor of the Senate, " I do not forget 
that I am a mechanic ; neither do I forget that Adam 
was a tailor and sewed fig-leaves, and that our Sav- 
ior was the son of a carpenter." 

In the Charleston- Baltimore convention of i860, he 
was the choice of the Tennessee Democrats for the 
Presidency. In 1861, when the purpose of the South- 
ern Democracy became apparent, he took a decided 
stand in favor of the Union, and held that " slavery 
must be held subordinate to the Union at whatever 
cost." He returned to Tennessee, and repeatedly 
imperiled his own life to protect the Unionists of 
Tennesee. Tennessee having seceded from the 
Union, President Lincoln, on March 4th, 1862, ap- 
pointed him Military Governor of the State, and he 
established the most stringent military rule. His 
numerous proclamations attracted wide attention. In 

1864, he was elected Vice-President of the United 
States, and upon the death of Mr. Lincoln, April 15, 

1865, became President. In a speech two days later 
he said, " The American people must be taught, if 
they do not already feel, that treason is a crime and 
must be punished ; that the Government will not 
always bear with its enemies ; that it is strong not 
only to protect, but to punish. * * Tlie people 
must understand that it (treason) is the blackest of 
crimes, and will surely be punished." Yet his whole 
administration, the history of which is so well known, 
was in utter inconsistency with, and the most violent 




opposition to, the principles laid down in that speech. 

In his loose policy of reconstruction and general 
amnesty, he was opposed by Congress ; and he char- ^• 
acterized Congress as a new rebellion, and lawlessly T 
defied it, in everything [Mssible, to the utmost. In .g) 
the beginning of 1868, on account of "high crimes 
and misdemeanors," the princi[)al of which was the 
removal of Secretary Stanton, in violation of the Ten- 
ure of Office Act, articles of impeachment were pre- 
ferred against him, and the trial began March 23. 

It was very tedious, continuing for nearly three 
months. A test article of the impeachment was at 
length submitted to the court for its action. It was 
certain that as the court voted ujwn that article so 
would it vote upon all. Thirty-four voices pronounced 
the President guilty. As a two-thirds vote was neces- 
sary to his condemnation, he was pronounced ac- 
quitted, notwithstanding the great majority against 
him. The change of one vote from the not guilty 
side would have sustained the impeachment. 

The President, for the remainder of his term, was 
but little regarded. He continued, though impotently, 
his conflict with Congress. His own party did not 
think it expedient to renominate him for the Presi- 
dency. The Nation rallied, with enthusiasm unpar- 
alleled since the days of Washington, around the name 
of Gen. Grant. Andrew Johnson was forgotten. 
The bullet of the assassin introduced him to the 
President's chair. Notwithstanding this, never was 
there presented to a man a better opportunity to im- 
mortalize his name, and to win the gratitude of a 
nation. He failed utterly. He retired to his home 
in Greenville, Tenn., taking no very active part in 
ix)litics until 1875. O" J^"- 26, after an exciting 
struggle, he was chosen by the Legislature of Ten- 
nessee, United States Senator in the forty-fourth Con- 
gress, and took his seat in that body, at the special 
session convened by President Grant, on the 5th of 
March. On the 27th of July, 1875, the ex-President 
made a visit to his daughter's home, near Carter 
Station, Tenn. When he started on his journey, he was 
apparently in his usual vigorous health, but on reach- (^ 
ing the residence of his child the following day, was I 
stricken with paralysis, rendering him unconscious. ^* 
He rallied occasionally, but finally passed away at ^ 
2 A.M., July 31, aged sixty-seven years. His fun- Jf 
eral was attended at Geenville, on the 3d of August, (^ 
with every demonstration of respect. ^ 



i 







1, 



'^y^a,'-'^ 





A 



f 



r^ 



% 



I YSSES S. GRANT, the 
^) eighteenth President of the 
■United States, was born on 
the 29th of April, 1822, of 
Christian parents, in a iuuiihle 
home, at Point Pleasant, on the 
banks of the Ohio. Shortly after 
his father moved to George- 
town, Brown Co., O. In this re- 
mote frontier hamlet, Ulysses 
received a common-school edu- 
cation. At the age of seven- 
teen, in the year 1S39, he entered 
the Military Academy at West 
Point. Here he was regarded as a 
solid, sensible young man of fair abilities, and of 
sturdy, honest character. He took respectable rank 
as a scholar. In June, 1843, he graduated, about the 
middle in his class, and was sent as lieutenant of in- 
fantry to one of the distant military posts in the Mis- 
souri Territory. Two years he past in these dreary 
solitudes, watching the vagabond and exasperating 
Indians. 

The war with .Mexico came. Lieut, (irant was 
sent with his regiment to Corpus Christi. His first 
battle was at Palo .iMto. There was no chance here 
for the exhibition of either skill or heroism, nor at 
Resacade la Palma, his second battle. At the battle 
of Monterey, his third engagement, it is said that 
he performed a signal service of daring and skillful 
horsemanship. His brigade had exhausted its am- 
munition. A messenger must be sent for more, along 
a route exposed to the bullets of the foe. Lieut. 
Grant, adopting an expedient learned of the Indians, 
grasped the mane of his horse, and hanging ujMn one 
side of the animal, ran the gauntlet in entire safety. 



From Monterey he was sent, with the fourth infantry, 
to aid Gen. Scott, at the siege of Vera Cruz. In 
preparation for the march to the city of Mexico, he 
was appointed quartermaster of his regiment. At the 
battle of Molino del Rey, he was promoted to a 
first lieutenancy, and was brevetted captain at Cha- 
pultepec. 

At the close of the Mexican War, Capl. Grant re- 
turned with his regiment to New York, and was again 
sent to one of the military posts on the frontier. The 
discovery of gold in California causing an immense 
tide of emigration to flow to the Pacific shores, Capt. 
Grant was sent with a battalion to Fort Dallas, in 
Oregon, for the protection of the interests of the im- 
migrants. Life was wearisome in those wilds. Capt. 
Grant resigned his commission and returned to the 
States; and having married, entered upon the cultiva- 
tion of a small farm near St. Louis, Mo. He had but 
little skill as a farmer. Finding his toil not re- 
munerative, he turned to mercantile life, entering into 
the leather business, with a younger brother, at Ga- 
lena, 111. This was in the year r86o. As the tidings 
of the rebels firing on Fort Sumpter reached the ears 
of Capt. Grant in his counting-room, he said, — 
■'Uncle Sam has educated me for the army; though 
I have served him through one war, I do not feel that 
I have yet repaid thedebt. I am still ready to discharge 
my obligations. 1 shall therefore buckle on my sword 
and see Uncle Sam through this war too." 

He went into the streets, raised a company of vol- 
unteers, and led them as their captain to Springfield, 
the capital of the State, where their services were 
offered to Gov. Yates. The Governor, impressed by 
the zeal and straightforward executive ability of Capt. 
Grant, gave him a desk in his office, to assist in the' 
volunteer organization that was being formed in the 
State in l>ehnlf of the Government. On the 15th of 



];^>A^ Si^^jf^ 



A 






^ 



Mt- 




"i^fe-'i^r 



■^5-7" 



<^iin^iin^> 



"T^^r 



-:2S^*^ 



UL YSSES S. GRA NT. 



<h 



) 



June, 1861, Capt. Grant received a commission as 
Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment of Illinois Vol- 
unteers. His merits as a West Point graduate, who 
had served for 15 years in the regular army, were such 
that he was soon promoted to the rank of Brigadier- 
General and was placed in command at Cairo. The 
rebels raised their banner at Paducah, near the mouth 
of the Tennessee River. Scarcely had its folds ap- 
peared in the breeze ere Gen. Grant was there. The 
rebels fled. Their banner fell, and the star and 
stripes were unfurled in its stead. 

He entered the service with great determination 
and immediately began active duty. This was the be- 
ginning, and until the surrender of Lee at Richmond 
he was ever pushing the enemy with great vigor and 
effectiveness. At Belmont, a few days later, he sur- 
prised and routed the rebels, then at Fort Henr)' 
won another victory. Then came the brilliant fight 
at Fort Donelson. The nation was electrified by the 
victory, and the brave leader of the boys in blue was 
/*% immediately made a M.njor-General, and the military 
i=3 district of Tennessee was assigned to him. 
•^ Like all great captains. Gen. Grant knew well how 
= to secure the results of victory. He immediately 
■<y pushed on to the enemies' lines. Then came the 
[T terrible battles of Pittsburg Landing, Corinth, and the 
/^ ^ siege of Vicksburg, where Gen. Pemberton made an 
unconditional surrender of the city with over thirty 
thousand men and one-hundred and seventy-two can- 
non. The fall of Vicksburg was by far the most 
severe blow which the reiiels had thus far encountered, 
and opened up the Mississippi from Cairo to the Gulf. 
Gen. Grant was next ordered to co-operate with 
Gen. Banks in a movement upon Texas, and pro- 
ceeded to New Orleans, where he was thrown from 
his horse, and received severe injuries, from which he 
was laid up for months. He then rushed to the aid 
of Gens. Rosecrans and Thomas at Chattanooga, and 
by a wonderful series of strategic and tactical meas- 
ures put the Union army in fighting condition. Then 
followed the bloody battles at Chattanooga, Lookout 
Mountain and Missionary Ridge, in which the rebels 
i were routed with great loss. This won for him un- 
^ bounded praise in the North. On the 4th of Febru- 
Wj ^"y* ^^^4y Congress revived the grade of lieutenant- 
^ general, and the rank was conferred on Gen. Grant. 
•:' He repaired to Washington to receive his credentials 
^ and enter upon the duties of his new office. 

(M\m^^^ ^'^^^ ^^^-^D!! 



o 




Gen. Grant decided as soon as he took charge of 
the army to concentrate the widely-dispersed National 
troops for an attack ujxjn Richmond, the nominal 
capital of the Rebellion, and endeavor there to de- 
stroy the rebel armies which would be promptly as- 
sembled from all quarters for its defence. The whole 
continent seemed to tremble under the tramp of these 
majestic armies, rushing to the decisive battle field. 
Steamers were crowded with troops. Railway trains 
were burdened with closely packed thousands. His 
plans were comprehensive and involved a series of 
campaigns, which were e.xecuted with remarkable en- 
ergy and ability, and were consummated at the sur- 
render of Lee, April 9, 1865. 

The war was ended. The Union was saved. The 
almost unanimous voice of the Nation declared Gen. 
Grant to be the most prominent instrument in its sal- 
vation. The eminent services he had thus rendered 
the country brought him conspicuously forward as the 
Republican candidate for the Presidential chair. 

At the Republican Convention held at Chicago, 
May 21, 1868, he was unanimously nominated for the 
Presidency, and at the autumn election received a 
majority of the ]xjpular vote, and 214 out of 294 
electoral votes. 

The National Convention of the Republican party 
which met at Philadelphia on the 5th of June, 1872, 
placed Gen. Grant in nomination for a second term 
by a unanimous vote. The selection was emphati- 
cally indorsed by the people five months later, 292 
electoral votes being cast for him. 

Soon after the close of his second term. Gen. Grant 
started upon his famous trip around the world. He 
visited almost every country of the civilized world, 
and was everywhere received with such ovations 
and demonstrations of respect and honor, private 
as well as public and official, as were never before 
bestowed upon any citizen of the United .States. It 
is not too much to say that his modest, courteous, and 
dignified demeanor in the presence of the most dis- 
tinguished men in the difierent nations in the world, 
reflected honor \ipon the Republic which he so long 
and so faithfully served. The country felt a great 
pride in his reception. Ujxjn his arrival in San Fran- 
cisco, Sept. 20, 1879, tlie city authorities gave him a 
fine reception. After lingering in the Golden State 
for a while, he began his tour through the States, 
which extended North and South, everywhere mark- 
ed by great acclamation and splendid ovations. 



K- 



A 



c-<>: 



V 



(^ 



m 




s. 



i^wj2u^^>A, 




:<!«-■ 



-T<?llll^llll^t> v u - >^ ^ 



■isr 



NINETEENTH PRESIDENT. 



91 




^ 




vf.;.' :■' ;.' :■.':*.•:■,• : v ; .' .'-i' .">>'^t^'a:.ij'« .- 



RUTHERi:ORD B. HAYES, m 



"'i^?^i'£gi'ifca'..")'.."i'.;i'.^Vi'.."i'M' 1' .'I' .'i' ■' 1' ;ixrv.n':a'i'a»'i'Vi^u^'..^'V.'>''..'i'.'i'Vi'>"..'t''.-'» '.'*''.' t 




1 UT 
'1 the 



rHERFORl) B. HAYES, 



"ihe United States, was born in 
, '/ Delaware, O., Oct. 4, 1822, al- 
most three months after the 
*^ death of his father, Rutherford 
Hayes. His ancestry on both 
the paternal and maternal sides, 
was of the most honorable char- 
acter. It can be traced, it is said, 
as farljackas 1280, when Hayes and 
Rutherford were two Scottish chief- 
tains, fighting side by side with 
Baliol, William Wallace and Rol)ert 
Bruce. Both families l)elonged to the 
nobility, owned extensive estates, 
and had a large following. Misfor- 
tune overtaking the family, Cleorge Hayes left Scot- 
land in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Conn. His son 
George was born in Windsor, and remained tlicre 
during his life. Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, ni:ir- 
ried Sarah Lee, arid lived from the time of his mar- 
riage until his death in Simshury, Conn. Ezekiel, 
son of Daniel, was born in 1724. and was a manufac- 
turer of scythes at Bradford, Conn. Rutherford Hayes, 
son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was 
born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a farmer, 
blacksmith and tavern-keeper. He emigrated to 
Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro, 
where he established a hotel. Here his son Ruth- 




born. He was married, in September, 1S13, to Sophia 
Birchard, of Wilmington, Vt., whose ancestors emi- 
grated tiiither from Connecticut, they having been 
among the wealthiest and best famlies of Norwich. 
Her ancestry on the male side are traced back to 
1635, to John Birchard, one of the principal founders 
of Norwich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers 
in the Revolutionary War. 

The father of President Hayes was an industrious, 
frugal and opened-hearted man. He was of a me- 
chanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stock- 
ing, or do almost anything else that he choose to 
undertake. He was a member of the Church, active 
in all the benevolent enterjjrises of the town, and con- 
ducted his business on Christian principles. After 
the close of the war of 1812, for reasons ine.xplicable 
to his neighbors, he resolved to emigrate to Ohio. 

The journey from Vermont to Ohio in tliat day, 
when there were no canals, steamers, nor railways, 
was a very serious affair. .\ tour of inspection was 
first made, occupying four months. Mr. Hayes deter- 
mined to move to Delaware, where the family arrived 
in 1817. He died July 22, 1S22, a victim of malarial 
fever, less than three months before the birth of the 
son, of whom we now write. Mrs. Hayes, in her sore be- 
reavement, found the su])port she so much needed in 
her brother Sardis, who had been a member of the 
household from the day of its departure from Ver- 
mont, and in an orphan girl whom she had adopted 
some time before as an act of charity. 

Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the 



erford Hayes, the father of President Hayes, was 

^"iSf^ — feA<-iinsiiii;>'-9 — ^^*©^ 



9 

I 



(q- 




^v^iiiistinf>^ 



RUTHERFORD B. 



HA YES. 



-#^(<^Vi^: 



:^ 



^ 



^) 



subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he 
was not expected to live beyond a month or two at 
most. As the months went by he grew weaker and 
weaker, so that the neighbors were in the habit of in- 
quiring from time to time " if Mrs. Hayes' baby died 
last night." On one occasion a neighbor, who was on 
familiar terms with the family, after alluding to the 
boy's big head, and the mother's assiduous care of 
him, said in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to 
him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't 
wonder if he would really come to something yet." 

"You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes. "You 
wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him 
President of the United States yet." The boy lived, 
in spite of the universal iiredictions of his speedy 
death; and when, in 1825, his older brother was 
drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his 
mother. 

The boy was seven years old before he went to 
school. His education, however, was not neglected. 
He probably learned as much from his mother and 
sister as he would have done at school. His sports 
were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being 
- liis sister and her associates. These circumstances 
tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of dispo- 
sition, and that delicate consideration for the feelings 
of others, which are marked traits of his character. 

His uncle Sardis Birchard took the deepest interest 
in his education ; and as the boy's healtli had im- 
proved, and he was making good progress in his 
studies, he projxjsed to send him to college. His pre- 
paration commenced with a tutor at home; but he 
was afterwards sent for one year to a professor in the 
Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Conn. He en- 
tered Kenyon College in 1838, at the age of sixteen, 
and was graduated at the head of his class in 1842. 

Immediately after liis graduation he began the 
study of law in the office of Thon^as Sparrow, Esq., 
in Columbus. Finding his opportunities for study in 
Columbus somewhat limited, he determined to enter 
tlie T.aw School at Cambridge, Mass., where he re- 
mained two years. 

In 1845, after graduating at the Law School, he was 
admitted to tlie bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly 
afterward went into practice a's an attorney-at-law 
with Ralph I'. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he re- 
mained three years, acquiring but a limited practice, 
and apparently unambitious of distinction in his pro- 
fession. 

In 1849 he moved to Cincinnati, where his ambi- 
tion found a new stimulus. For several years, how- 
ever, his progress was slow. Two events, occurring at 
this period, had a ])owerful influence upon his subse- 
(|uent life. One of these was his marrage with Miss 
Lucy \Vare Webb, daughter of Dr. James VVebl), of 
Chilicothe; the other was his introduction to the Cin- 
cinnati Literary Club, a body embracing among its 
members such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, 




Gen. John Pope, Gov. Edward F. Noyes, and many 
others hardly less distinguished in after life. The 
marriage was a fortunate one in every respect, as 
everybody knows. Not one of all the wives of our 
Presidents was more universally admired, reverenced 
and beloved tlian was Mrs. Hayes, and no one did 
more than she to reflect honor upon American woman- 
hood. Tlie Literary Club brought Mr. Hayes into 
constant association with young men of high char- 
acter and noble aims, and lured him to display the 
i|ualities so long hidden by his baslifulness and 
modesty. 

In 1S56 he was nominated tu the office of Judge of 
the Court of Common Pleas; but he declined to ac- 
ceiit the nomination. Two years later, the office of 
city solicitor becoming vacant, the Cu_\' Council 
elected him for tlie unexpired term. 

In 1 86 1, when the Rebellion broke out, he wa;: at 
the zenith of his professional life. His rank at the 
bar was among the the first. But the news of the 
attack on Fort Sumpter found him eager to take up 
arms for the defense of his country. 

His military record was bright and illustrious. In 
October, 186 1, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel, and 
in August, 1862, promoted Colonel of the 79th Ohio 
regiment, but he refused to leave his old comrades 
and go among strangers. Sui)sequently, however, he 
was made Colonel of his old regiment. At the battle 
of South Mountain he received a wound, and while 
faint and bleeding displayed courage and fortitude 
that won admiration from all. 

Col. Hayes was detached from his regiment, after 
his recovery, to act as Brigadier-General, and placed 
in command of the celebrated Kanawha division, 
and for gallant and meritorious sei vices in the battles 
of ^Vinchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, he was 
promoted Brigadier-General. He was also brevetted 
Major-General, "forgallant and distil guislu'd Fcrvices 
during the campaigns of 1864, in ^Vest Virginia." In 
the course of his arduous services, four horses were 
shot from under liim, and he was wounded four times. 

In 1864, Gen. Hayes was elected to Congress, from 
the Second Ohio District, which had long been Dem- 
ocratic. He was not present during the campaign, 
and after his election was importuned to resign his 
commission in the army ; but he finally declared, " 1 
shall never come to Washington until I can come by 
the way of Richmond." He was re-elected in 1S66. 

In 1S67, Gen Hayes was elected Governor of Ohio, 
over Hon. .Mien G. Thurman, a jiopular Democrat. 
In 1869 was re-elected over George H. Pendleton. 
He was elected Governor for the third term in 1875. 

In 1876 he was the standard bearer of the Repub- 
lican Party in the Presidential contest, and after a 
hard long contjest_was chosen President, and was in 
augurated Monday, March 5, 1875. He served his 
full term, not, hcwever, with satisfaction to his party, 
but his administration was an average one 



= f 



V 

t 



»e 



c; 



A 



^: 






1 



^"iD !1 5^ Illln>^^ s^C^J^ 






gs/^®»«^^ 



T2^^i^ ^-V^nP^IlDr^ 



':i^^K 



TWENTIETH PRESIDENT. 



'1 % 




9/^^^ 
^^^//^\^^^ 



■^Z^*S*-=:^ \ '^'^^A ^ ^ ^A^ ^ V^ i »^<^^i»C^^^;;^ 






JAMES A. CJARFIE 






^n::'<\^jiKir 




e-s^;:;?*?::;?*^;:;?!?^::;,-"*^;:;?* 



AilES A (iARFIELD, twen- 
tieth President of the United 
States, was born Nov. 19, 
1S31, in the woods of Orange, 
C'uyahoga Co., O His par- 
ents were Abrani and Eliza 
(Ballon) Garfield, both of New 
England ancestry and from fami- 
lies well known in the early his- 
tory of that section of our coun- 
try, liut had moved to the Western 
Reserve, in Ohio, early in its settle- 
ment. 

The house in which James A. was 
lorn was not unlike the houses of 
poor Ohio farmers of that day. It 
was about 20x30 feet, built of logs, with the spaces be- 
tween the logs filled with clay. His father was a 
hard working farmer, and he soon had his fields 
cleared, an orchard planted, and a log barn built. 
The household comprised the father and mother and 
their four children — Mehetabel, Thomas, Mary and 
James. In May, 1823, the father, from a cold con- 
tracted in helping to put out a forest fire, died. At 
this time James was about eighteen months old, and 
Tliomas al)out ten years old. No one, perhaps, can 
tell how much James was indebted to his biother's 
toil and self-sacrifice during the twenty years suc- 
ceeding his father's death, but undoubtedly very 
much. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sis- 
ters live in .Solon, O., near their birthplace. 

The early educational advantages young (iarfield 
enjoyed were very limited, yet he made the most of 
them. He labored at farm work for others, did car- 
penter work, cho[)ped wood, or did anytliing that 
would bring in a few dollars to aid his widowed 
mother in her struggles to keep the little family to- 



gether. Nor was Gen. Garfield ever ashamed of his 
origin, and he never forgot the friends of his strug- 
gling childhood, youth and manhood, neither did they 
ever forget him. Wiien in the liigliest seats of honor, 
the humblest fiiend of his boyhood was as kindly 
greeted as ever. Tlie poorest laborer was sure of the 
sympathy of one who had known all the bitterness 
of want and the sweetness of bread earned by the 
sweat of the brow. He was ever the simple, jjlain, 
modest gentleman. 

The highest ambition of young Garfield until he 
was about sixteen years old was to be a captain of 
a vessel on Lake Erie. He was anxious to go aboard 
a vessel, which his mother strongly opposed. She 
finally consented to his going to Cleveland, with the 
understanding, however, that he should try to obtain 
some other kind of employment. He walked all the 
way to Cleveland. 'Ihis was his first visit to the city. 
After making many applications for work, and trying 
to get aboard a lake vessel, and imt meeting with 
success, he engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos 
Letcher, on tiie Ohio & Pennsylvania Canal. He re- 
mained at this work but a short time when he went 
home, and attended the seminar;- at Chester for 
about three years, wiien he entered Hiram and the 
Eclectic Institute, teaching a few terms of school in 
the meantime, and doing other work. This school 
was started by the Disciples of Christ in 1850, of 
which church he was then a member. He became 
janitor and bell-ringer in order to help pay his way. 
He then became both teacher and pupil. He soon 
" exhausted Hiram " and needed more ; hence, in the 
fall of 1854, he entered Williams College, from which 
he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest hon- 
ors of his class. He afterwards returned lo Hiram 
College as its President. .\s above slated, he early 
united with the Christian or Diciples Church at 
Hiram, and was ever after a devoted, zealous mem- 
ber, often preaching in its pulpit and places where 
he happened to be. Dr. Noah Porter, President of 
Yale College, says of him in reference to his religion : 



< 



Si/ 



^^e$^r> 



.:si{^%!^ 



u^-J^i 



<^Illir<:^:Dtls> 



-:-4^ 









96 



JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



-^^&sr 



'^ 






2 



" President Garfield was more than a man of 
strong moral and religious convictions. His whole 
history, from boyhood to the last, shows that duty to 
man and to God, and devotion to Christ and life and 
faith and spiritual commission were controlling springs 
of his being, and to a more than usual degree. In 
my judgment there is no more interesting feature of 
his character than his loyal allegiance to the body of 
Ciuistians in which he was trained, and the fervent 
sympathy which he ever sliowed in their Christian 
communion. Not many of the few 'wise and mighty 
and noble who are called' show a similar loyalty to 
the less stately and cultured Christian comnmnions 
in which they have been reared. Too often it is true 
that as they step upward in social and political sig- 
nificance they step upward from one degree to 
another in some of the many types of fashionable 
Christianity. President Garfield adhered to the 
church of his mother, the church in which he was 
trained, and in which he served as a jiillar and an 
evangelist, and yet with the largest and most unsec- 
larian charity for all 'who love our Lord in sincerity.'" 

Mr. Garfield was united in marriage with Miss 
Lucretia Rudolph, Now 1 1, 1858, who proved herself 
worthy as the wife of one whom all the world loved and 
mourned. To them were born seven children, five of 
whom are still living, four boys and one girl. 

Mr. Garfield made his first political S[)eeches in 1856, 
in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three 
years later he began to speak at county mass-meet- 
ings, and became the favorite speaker wherever he 
was. During this year he was elected to the Ohio 
Senate. He also began to study law at Cleveland, 
and in 1861 was admitted to the bar. The great 
Rebellion broke out in the early part of this year, 
and Mr. Garfield at once resolved to figlit as he had 
talked, and enlisted to defend the old flag. He re- 
ceived his commission as Lieut. -Colonel of the Forty- 
second Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Aug. 
14, 1861. He was immediately put into active ser- 
vice, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in acMon, 
was placed in command of four regiments of infantr)- 
and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the 
work of driving out of his native State the officer 
(Humphrey M?.rshall) reputed to be the ablest of 
those, not educated to war whom Kentucky had given 
to the Rebellion. This work was bravely and speed- 
ily accomplished, although against great odds. Pres- 
ident Lincoln, on his success commissioned him 
Brigadier-(ieneral, Jan. 10, 1862; and as "he had 
been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years 
before, so now he was the youngest General in the 
army." He was with Gen. Buell's army at Shiloh, 
in its operations around Corinth and its march through 
Alabama. He was then detailed as a member of the 
General Coutt-Martial for the trial of Gen. Fitz-John 
Porter. He was tlien ordered to report to Gen. Rose- 
crans, and was assigned to the "Chief of Staff." 

The military history of Gen. Garfield closed with 



his brilliant services at Chickamauga, where he won 
the stars 01 the Major-General. 

Without an effort on liis part Gen. Garfield was 
elected to Congress in the fall of 1862 from the 
Nineteenth District of Ohio. This section of Ohio 
had been represented in Congress for sixty years 
mainly by two men — Elisha W liittlesey and Joshua 
R. Giddings. It was not without a struggle that he 
resigned his place in the army. At the time he en- 
tered Congress he was the youngest member in that 
body. There he remained by successive re- 
elections until he was elected President in 1880. 
Of his labors in Congress Senator Hoar says : "Since 
tlie year 1864 you cannot think of a question which 
has been debated in Congress, or discussed before a 
tribunel of the American people, in regard to which 
you will not find, if you wish mstruction, the argu- 
ment on one side stated, in almost every instance 
belter than by anybody else, in some speech made in 
the House of Representatives or on the hustings by 
Mr. Garfield." 

\}\x>w Jan. 14, 1880, (ien. Garfield was elected to 
the U. S. Senate, and on the eighth of June, of tiie 
same year, was nominated as the candidate of his 
party for President at the great Chicago Convention. 
He was elected in the following November, and on 
March 4, 1881, was inaugurated. Probably no ad- 
ministration ever opened its existence under brighter 
auspices than that of President Garfield, and every 
day it grew in favo; with the peojjle, and by the first 
of July he had completed all the initiatory and pre- 
liminary work of his administration and was prepar- 
ing to leave the city to meet his friends at Williams 
College. While on his way and at the deiwt, in com- 
pany with Secretary Blaine, a man stepped behind 
liim, drew a revolver, and fired directly at his back. 
The President tottered and fell, and as he did so the 
assassin fired a second shot, the bullet cutting the 
left coat sleeve of his victim, but inilicting no further 
injury. It has been very truthfully said that this was 
" the shot that was heard round the world " Never ^' 
before in the history of the Nation had anything oc- $■ 
curred which so nearly froze the blood of the people ^ 
for the moment, as this awful deed. He was smit- 
ten on the brightest, gladdest day of all his life, and 
was at the summit of his power and hope. For eighty 
days, all during the hot months of July and August, 
he lingered and suffered. He, however, remained 
master of himself till the last, and liy his magnificent 
bearing was teaching the country and the world the 
noblest of human lessons — how to live grandly in the 
very clutch of death. Great in life, he was surpass- 
ingly great in death. He passed serenely away Sept. 
19, 1S83, at Elberon, N. J , on the very bank of the 
ocean, where he had been taken shortly previous. The 
world wept at his death, as it never had done on the 
death of any other man who had ever lived uiK)n it. 
The murderer was duly tried, found guilty and exe- 
■ cuted, in one year after he committed the foul deed. 



^ 



A 



:-<>: 



V 



r 



y 




;<**%. 



-•'^V 





C/.^ 





TWENTY.FIRST PRESIDENT. 









■<f^>'**^r'^ 



yio) 



^l 



:^ 



(^ 




■) 



HESTER A. ARTHUR, 

twenty-first President of the 

.'United States, was born in 

Franklin County, Vermont, on 

J> thefifthof October, 1830, andis 

the oldest of a family of two 

sons and five daughters. His 

father was the Rev. Dr. William 

Arthur, a Baptist clergy man, who 

emigrated to this country from 

the county Antrim, Ireland, in 

his 18th year, and died in 1875, in 

Newtonville, near Albany, after a 

long and successful ministr\\ 

Young Arthur was educated at 
Union College, Schenectady, where 
he excelled in all his studies. Af- 
ter his graduation he taught school 
\h in Vermont for two years, and at 
the expiration of that time came to 

fNew York, with $500 in his pocket, 
and entered the office of ex-Judge 
E. D. Culver as student. After 
I being admitted to the bar he formed 
a partnership with his intimate friend and room-mate, 
Henry D. Gardiner, with the intention of practicing 
in the West, and for three months they roamed about 
in the Western States in search of an eligible site, 
but in the end returned to New York, where they 
hung out their shingle, and entered upon a success- 
ful career almost from the start. General Arthur 
soon afterward married the daughter of Lieutenant 



Herndon, of the United States Navy, who was lost at 
sea. Congress voted a gold medal to his widow in 
recognition of the bravery he displayed on that occa- 
sion. Mrs. Arthur died shortly before Mr. Arthur's 
nomination to the Vice Presidency, leaving two 
children. 

Gen. Arthur obtained considerable legal celebrity 
in his first great case, the famous Lemmon suit, 
brought to recover possession of eight slaves who had 
been declared free by Judge Paine, of the Superior 
Court of New York City. It was in t852 that Jon- 
athan Lemmon, of Virginia, went to New York with 
his slaves, intending to ship them to Texas, when 
they were discovered and freed. The Judge decided 
that they could not be held by the owner under the 
Fugitive Slave Law. A howl of rage went up from 
the South, and the Virginia Legislature authorized the 
Attorney General of that State to assist in an appeal. 
Wm. M. Evarts and Chester A. Arthur were employed 
to represent the People, and they won their case, 
which then went to the Supreme Court of the United 
States. Charles O'Conor here esjxjused the cause 
of the slave-holders, but he too was beaten by Messrs. 
Evarts and Arthur, and a long step was taken toward 
the emancipation of the black race. 

Another great service was rendered by General 
Arthur in the same cause in 1856. Lizzie Jennings, 
a respectable colored woman, was put off a Fourth 
Avenue car with violence after she had paid her fare. 
General Arthur sued on her behalf, and secured a 
verdict of $500 damages. The next day the compa- 
ny issued an order to admit colored persons to ride 
on their cars, and the other car companies quickly 



i 



i>; 






rp 



3 



v^yr^ 



-"^i^^d 




CHESTER A. 



ARTHUR. 



f 






:^ 



> 



t 

I 



followed their example. Before that the Sixth Ave- 
nue Company ran a few special cars for colored per- 
sons and the other lines refused to let them ride at all. 

General Arthur was a delegate to the Convention 
at Saratoga that founded the Republican party. 
Previous to the war he was Judge-Advocate of the 
Second Brigade of the State of New York, and Gov- 
ernor Morgan, of that State, appointed him Engineer- 
in-Chief of his staff. In 1861, he was made Inspec- 
tor General, and soon afterward became (Quartermas- 
ter-General. In each of these offices he rendered 
great service to the Government during the war. .\1 
the end of Governor Morgan's term he resumed tlie 
practice of the law, forming a partnership with Mr. 
Ransom, and then Mr. Phelps, the District .\ttorney 
of New Yoik, was added to the firm. The legal prac- 
tice of this well-known firm was very large and lucra- 
tive, each of the gentlemen composing it were able 
lawyers, and possessed a splendid local rejjutation, if 
not. indeed one of national e-xtent. 

He always took a leading part in State and city 
politics. He was appointed Collector of the Port of 
New York by President Grant, Nov. 21 1872, to suc- 
ceed Thomas Murphy, and held the office until July, 
20, 1878, when he was succeeded by Collector Merritt. 

Mr. Arthur was nominated on the Presidential 
ticket, with Gen. James A. Garfield, at the famous 
National Republican Convention held at Chicago in 
June, 1880. This was perhaps the greatest pohtical 
convention that ever assembled on the continent. It 
was composed of the leading jMliticians of the Re- 
publican jjarty, all able men, and each stood firm and 
fought vigorously and with signal tenacity for their 
respective candidates that were before the conven- 
tion for the nomination. Finally (len. Garfield re- 
ceived the nomination for President and (len. Arthur 
for Vice-President. The campaign which followed 
was one of the most animated known in the history of 
our country. Gen. Hancock, the standard-bearer of 
the Democratic party, was a popular man, and his 
party made a valiant fight for his election. 

Finally the election came and the country's choice 
was Garfield and Arthur. They were inaugurated 
March 4, 1881, as President and Vice-President. 
A few months only had passed ere the newly chosen 
President was the victim of the assassin's bullet. Then 
came terrible weeks of suffering, — those moments of 
anxious suspense, when the hearts of all civiHzcd na- 





tions were throbbing in unison, longing for the re- 
covery of the noble, the good President. The remark- 
able patience that he manifested during those hours 
and weeks, and even months, of the most terrible suf- 
fering man has often been called upon to endure, was 
seemingly more than human. It was certainly God- 
like. During all this period of deepest anxiety Mr. 
Arthur's every move was watched, and be it said to his 
credit that his every action displayed only an earnest 
desire that the suffering Garfield might recover, to 
serve the remainder of the term he had so auspi- 
ciously begun. Not a selfish feeling was manifested 
in deed or look of this man, even though the most 
honored ix)sition in the world was at any moment 
likely to fall to him. 

At last God in his mercy relieved President Gar- 
field from further suffering, and the world, as never 
before in its history over the death of any other 
man, wept at his bier. Then it became the duty of 
the Vice President to assume the res\x)nsibilities of 
the high office, and he took the oath in New York, 
Sept. 20, 1881. The [xasition was an embarrassing 
one to him, made doubly so from the facts that all 
eyes were on him, anxious to know what he would do, 
what }X)licy he would pursue, and who he would se- 
lect as advisers. The duties of the office had been 
greatly neglected during the President's long illness, 
and many imixDrtant measures were to be immediately 
decided by him ; and still farther to embarrass him he 
did not fail to realize under what circumstances he 
liecame President, and knew the feelings of many on 
this point, llnder these trying circumstances President 
Arthur took the reins of the Government in his own 
hands; and, as embarrassing as were the condition of 
affairs, he has happily surprised the Nation, acting so 
justly, so wisely, so well, that but few have criticised 
his administration. Should he continue during the 
remainder of his term to pursue the wise policy lie 
has followed thus far, we believe President Arthur's 
administration will go down in history as one of the 
wisest and most satisfactory our country has ever 
enjoyed. His highest ambition seems to be to do his 
duty to the whole Nation, even to the sacrifice of his 
warmest personal friends. With the good of the 
people at heart, and guided by the wisdom already 
displayed, he will surprise his opponents, gratify his 
friends, and bless the .American Republic, during 
tlie years he occupies the Presidential chair. 



t 



\^ 



&. 






r 



r/ 



g)$$^;4|^ 



'M.m % w^>^^ — ^^^^ 



^^mj^^ 



^M^ 



®)$«^^ 



-:2^ v Cjv c>iin>: n Il^><7^TH — 5iis5^^ 



^^\&^ii 






I 



^ 

E3 

S 



V 




1-a 









^ 



? 



.>^^^*c — Q-^^-iii n r^ niiv^M? — ^^cs^ 



M:-/^l^^^ 



■^■w.r'CSr 



■7<^.U >: D ^y>r-r^ :s^^^ 



-4^^5f^'® 



t 






vt 






V 

:) 




c 



C<; 






V 



^se'i;^^ 



-^:Dll^DDr>^ 



.^3li«f?Sffl. 



^9 

I 



im-r^^^^ ^4^^^: — cr-T<^tii]^ni]^> 



T^rr 



-I^JC^^H 



Vtoj 



V 

?• 
A 



:^^ 



V 

s 

(i) 



'^ 









E=I 



11 



M 



-^^^"^—^^^MM^^fi^^ s^^^ri 



>)AlS 



^' 






tirv 



^Dn:-^Diiv>v 



rrr 



4^^C@V;^ 






e^ 



1 



V 




A 



>» 









i 



3 




.^itn'-e.^ Q^.yiiai^. 



^ 

'^^ 



t 



:(f^ 



■rrv 



4^iin^ni]>> 



-Ziti^^ 



GO VERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 



mm.. 



STEPHEN T. MiiSON. 



? -'«xXi7iS-^'"<J.^ajt<'_<! i_ilLSl \ 









"oejii"' 



^9 



vS 



> 

1 

I=X 



^ 



^ 




■J TEPHEN T. MASON, the 
W first ( 'lovcrnorof Michiijan, was 
^* a sou of Gen. John T. Mason, 
5 of Kentucky, but was born in 
= Virginia, in 18 12. At the age 
'^^'^ of 19 he was apixjinted Secre- 
tary of Michigan Territory, and 
served in that capacity during the 
administration of Gov. George B. 
Porter. Upon the death of Gov. 
Porter, which occurred on the 6th of 
July, 1834, Mr. Mason became Act- 
ing Governor. In October, 1835, he 
was elected Governor under the State 
organization, and immediately en- 
tered uix)n the performance of the 
' duties of the otifice, although the 
State was not yet admitted into the Union. After 
the State was admitted into the Union, Governor 
Mason was re-elected to the jxjsition, and served with 
credit to himself and to the advantage of the State. 
He died Jan. 4, 1843. The principal event during 
Crovernor ^Mason's official career, was that arising from 
the disputed southern boundary of the State. 

Michigan claimed for her southern boundary a line 
running east across the peninsula from the extreme 
southern jxjint of Lake Michigan, extending through 
Lake Erie, to the Pennsylvania line. This she 
claimed as a vested right — a right accruing to her by 
compact. This compact was the ordinance of 1787, 
the parties to which were the original 13 States, and 
the territory northwest of the Ohio ; and, by the suc- 
cession of parties under statutory amendments to the 
ordinance and laws of Congress — the United .States on 
the one part, and each Territory northwest of the 
Ohio, as far as affected by their provisions, on the 



-^m;f^ 



u^ 



other. Michigan, therefore, claimed it under the prior 
grant, or assignation of boundary. 

Ohio, on the other hand, claimed that the ordinance 
had been superseded by the Constitution of the 
United States, and that Congress had a right to regu- 
late the boundary. It was also claimed that the 
Constitution of the Slate of Ohio having described a 
different line, and Congress having admitted the State 
under that Constitution, without mentioning the sub- 
ject of the line in dispute. Congress had thereby given 
its consent to the line as laid down by the Constitu- 
tion of Ohio. This claim was urged by Ohio at 
some periods of the controversy, but atoliiersshe ap- 
(leared to regard the (question unsettled, liy the fact 
that she insisted upon Congress taking action in re- 
gard to the boundary. Accordingly, we find that, in 
18 [2, Congress authorized the Surveyor-General to 
survey a line, agreeably to the act, to enable the people 
of Ohio to form a Constitution and State government. 
Owing to Indian hostilities, however, the line was not 
run till 1 818. In 1820, the (juestion in dispute 
underwent a rigid e.xaniination by the Committee on 
Public Lands. The claim of Ohio was strenuously 
urged by her delegation, and as ably opjwsed by Mr. 
Woodbridge, the then delegate from Michigan. The 
result was that the committee decided unanimously 
in favor of Michigan; but, in the hurry of business, 
no action was taken by Congress, and the (juestion 
remained open till Michigan organized her State gov- 
ernment. 

The Territory in dispute is about five miles in 
width at the west end, and about eight miles in width 
at the east end, and extends along the whole north- 
ern line of Ohio, west of Lake Erie. The line claimed 
by Michigan was known as the " Fulton line," and 
tliat claimed by Ohio was known as the " Harris line," 






C<-i 



t 



-L<;i|i|;^:t|t|;>A^> ^^^^^ 



'ml 



-^ 



/>• IO« 



-i^ 



SrEP^E.V T. MASOy. 



->^.rii^ 






I 






V 

s 



?\ 



fioin the n.imes of ihe sunt\x»ts. The leniton- was 
valu.ihle tor its rich agriculiund lands ; but the chief 
value consisted in the tact that the h-ubor on the 
Mauiuee Ri\-er, wheit iww stands the ilourishing city 
of Toledo, was included within its limits The town 
originally Ixjre the name of Swan Creek, afterwaids 
rv>n l_iwrenc«, then Vestula. and then Toledo. 

In Februan, 1^55. the Legislature of Ohio p^issed 
an act extending the jurisdiction of the State over 
the territory in question; erected townshifs at>d 
directed them to hv>ld electioni in April ftdlowing. It 
also direct^ lk)ven>or Lucus to apjxiint three com- 
missioners to survey aiwl re-mark the Harris line ; and 
named the first of April as the day to comraeiKe the 
survey, Acring «.n)venK>r M xson. however, anticipated 
this action on the jxin of the Ohio L^slature, sent 
a special message to the Legislati\-e Council, appris- 
ing it of t.K»"emor Lucas' tnessage. and advised imme- 
diate action by that body to anticipate and counteract 
the pioceedings of Ohio. Accordingly, on the 1 2th 
of February, the council jvasssed an act making it a 
crimmal offence, (Hinishable by a heax"y fine, or im- 
prisonment, for any one to attempt to exercise any 
otncLil functions, or accept any office within the juris- 
diction v»f Michigan, under or by vinure of any au- 
thority iK>t derived from the Territoiy. or the United 
States- On the oth of March, Governor Mason wrote 
General Bn>wn, then in command of the Michigan 
militia, directing him to hold himself in readiness to 
meet the enemy in the field in case any attempt was 
made on the pan of Ohio to carry out the provisions 
ivf that act of the Legislature. On the ^tstof March, 
^.'k>^■e^K>^ Lucus, with his commissionet^ arrived at 
Perrj-sburgh, on their way to oonuaence re-surveying 
the Harris lit>e. He was accom^unied by General 
Bell and staff, <ii the Ohio Mflitia. who proceeded to 
muster a volunteer force of aKnit 6co men. This 
was soon accomplished, and the force fully armed and 
e\iuii-»ped. The force then went into camp at Fort 
Miami, to await the Governor's orders. 

In the meantime, Ok>vemor Mason, with General 

Brown aiMl staff, had raised a force Sec to t^oo 

^ strong, atjd were in possession of Toledo. General 

"-'turn's Staff consisted of Captain Henry Smith, of 

^lontoe. Inspector; Maior J. J. UUman, of Coi>- 

y stantine. Quartermaster; Wfllian\ E. Bioadman. of 

'^ Detroit, and -\li*eus Felch.of Monroe, Aids-de- 

^ camp. When lK>remor Lucas observed the deter- 

^^ nuned tearing of the Michigan brare*, and took rwte 

^-v^^^v^: ^ ^^^^ — ^-^^dd; 



ol" their number, he found it convenient to content 
himself for a time with " watching over the border." 
Sever.1l days were {vissed in this exhilararing employ- 
ment, and just as Cn>vemor Lucas had made up his 
mind to dp something rash, two commissioners ar- 
rived from W.ishington on a mission of peace. Thev 
ren>onstr»ted with Gov. Lucus. axnl reminded him of 
the consequences to himself and his State if he per- 
sisted in his attempt to gain possession ot' the disputed 
territory by force. .\tter several conferences with 
both go>-emors, the commissioners submitted proposi- 
tions for their consideration. 

tkivenwr Lucas at once accepted the propositions, 
and disbanded his tbrces, Govenwr Mason, on the 
other hand, refused to accede to the arrangement, and 
declined to conipromise the rights of his j*ople by a 
surrender of possession and jurisdiction. AMien Gov- 
ernor Lucus disbanded his forces, however. Governor 
Masoii partially followed suit, but still held himself 
in readiness to uteet any emergency that might arise. 

tVovernor Lucus now supjx»sed that his way was 
dear, and that he could Ix^-mark the Harris line with- 
out being molested, and ordered the commissioners 
to proceed with their work. 

In the meantime, Govemv>r Mason kept a watch- 
ful eye upon the proceedings. General Brown sent 
scouts through the woods to watch their movements, 
and report when of>erations were commetKed. ^^'hen 
the sur>-eying party got »-irhin the county of Lena- 
wee, the under-sheriff of that county, armed with a 
warrant, and accompanied by a posse, suddenly made 
his appearance, and succeeded m arresdng a portion 
of the party. The rest, including the commissiotterss 
took to their heels, athi were scon be)X)nd the dis- \ 
puted territory. They reached Perrysburgh the fol- -j 
towing day in a highly demoralized conditioit, and / 
reported they had been attacked by an overwhelm- 
ing force c^ Michigan malitia, under commaitd of 
General Brown. 

Thb sommarT t»eakiDg up of the surreying party 
produced the most tremeitdous excitement throughout 
Ohia Go^■emo^ Lucas called an extra sessitmof the (' 
Legislature. But linle remains ro be said in reference 
to the ' war.' The qvKslion continued for some time . 
to a^tate the minds of the opposing parties; aixl the 
actionof Congress was impadently awaited. Michigan , 
was admitted into the Union on the condition that 
she give to Ohio the disputed lerritory. and accep* 
in return the Northern Peninsula, which she did. " 



*v- 



A 



y 




'^-^z/-z>^^'-'^^^yc:> 



T^-T<^DIl^DD^>r^ 5«!€^^k: 4^^(<^\^ 



SECOND GO VERNOR OF MICHIGAN. 



109 






William 05oodbi^idgb. 








w 



I ILLIAM WOODBRIDGE, 

^..jx^econd Governor of Michigan, 

J was horn at Norwich, Conn., 

Aug. 20, 1780, and died at 

Detroit Oct. 20, 1861. He 






Era 



i\ wab of a family of three brothers 
' and two sisters. His father, 
Dudley VVoodbridge, removed to 
Marietta, Ohio, about 1790. The 
life of Wm. Woodbridge, by Chas. 
Lauman, from which this sketch 
is largely com piled, mentions noth- 
ing concerning his early education 
beyond the fact that it was such as 
was afforded by the average school 
of the time, e.\cept a year with the 
French colonists at Galliixslis, 
where he acquired a knowledge of 
the French language. It should 
be borne in mind, however, that 

fhome education at that time was 
an indispensable feature in the 
training of the young. To this and 
and to a few studies well mastered, 
is due that strong mental discipline which has served 
as a basis for many of the grand intellects that have 
adorned and helped to make our National history. 
Mr. Woodbridge studied law at Marietta, having 
as a fellow student an intimate personal friend, a 
(S^ young man subsequently distinguished, but known 
at that time simply as Lewis Cass. He graduated at 
the law school in Connecticut, after a course there of 
nearly three years, and began to practice at Marietta 
in 1806. In June, 1806, he married, at Hartford, Con- 
necticut, Juleanna, daughter of John Trumbell, a 
distinguished author and judge ; and author of the 



peom McFingal, which, during a dark period of the 
Revolution, wrought such a magic change upon the 
spirits of the colonists. He was happy in his domes ■ 
ticrelations until the death of Mrs. W., Feb. 2,19, i860. 

Our written biographies necessarily speak more 
fully of men, because of their active participation in 
public affairs, but human actions are stamped upon 
the page of time and when the scroll shall be unrolled 
the influence of good women upon the history of the 
world will be read side by side with the deeds of men. 
How much success and renown in life many men owe 
to their wives is probably little known. Mrs. W. en- 
joyed the best means of early education that the 
country afforded, and her intellectual genius enabled 
her to improve her advantages. During her life, side 
by side with the highest type of domestic and social 
graces, she manifested a keen intellectuality that 
formed the crown of a faultless character. She was 
a natural poet, and wrote quite a large number of fine 
verses, some of which are preserved in a printed 
memorial essay written upon the occasion of her 
death. In this essay, it is said of her "to contribute 
even in matters of minor importance, to elevate the 
reputation and add to the well being of her husband 
in the various stations he was called upon to fill, gave 
her the highest satisfaction " She was an invalid 
during the latter portion of her life, but was patient 
and cheerful to the end. 

In 1807, Mr. \V. was chosen a representative to the 
General Assembly of Ohio, and in 1809 was elected to 
the Senate, continuing a member by re-election until 
his removal from the State. He also held, by ai> 
pointment, during the time the office of Prosecuting 
Attorney for his county. He took a leading part in 
the Legislature, and in : 81 2 drew up a declaration and 
resolutions, which passed the two houses unamiiiously 



V6; 



A 



c>: 






r^ 



^s/^®)$(^^ 



■^■■^cz 



'<^Mmh> 



WILLIAM WOODBRIDGE, 






t 






>:> 



V 

5. 



A 



i^ 






and attracted great attention, endorsing, in strongest 
and most emphatic terms, the war measures of Presi- 
dent Madison. During the period from 1804 to 1814 
the two law students, Woudbridge and Cass, had be- 
come widely separated. The latter was Governor of 
the Territory of Michigan under the historic "Governor 
and Judges" plan, with the indispensable requisite of a 
Secretary of the Territorry. This latter jwsition was, 
in 18 1 4, without solicitation on his part, tendered to 
Mr. W. He accepted the iX)sition with some hesita- 
tion, and entered upon its duties as soon as he could 
make the necessary arrangements for leaving Ohio. 
The office of Secretary involved also tlie duties of 
collectorof customs at the port of Detroit, and during 
the frequent absences of the Governor, the dischargeof 
of his duties, also including those of Superintendent 
of Indian Affairs. Mr. W. officiated as Governor for 
about two years out of the eight years that he held the 
office of Secretary I'nder the administration of "Gov- 
ernor and Judges," which the people of the Territory 
preferred for economical reasons, to continue some time 
after their numbers entitled them to a more popular 
representative system, they were allowed no delegate 
in Congress. Mr. W., as a sort of informal agent of 
the people, by corresjxjndence and also by a visit to 
the National capital, so clearly set forth the demand 
for representation by a delegate, that an act was 
passed in Congress in 1 8 1 9 authorizing one to be chosen. 
Under this act Mr. \V. was elected by the concurrence 
of all parties. His first action in Congress was to secure 
the passage of a liill recognizing and confirming the 
old French land titles in the Territory according to 
the terms of the treaty of peace with (jreat Britain 
at the close of the Revolution ; and another for the 
construction of a Crovernment road through the "black 
swamps" from tlie Miami River to Detroit, thus open- 
ing a means of land transit between Ohio and Mich- 
igan. He was influential in securing the passage of 
bills for the construction of Government roads from 
Detroit to Chicago, and Detroit to Fort Gratiot, and 
for the improvement of l,a Plaisance Bay. The ex- 
pedition for the exploration of the country around 
Lake Superior and in the valley of the Upper Mis- 
sissippi, projected by (Governor Cass, was set on foot 
by means of representations made to the head of the 
department by Mr. W. While in Congress he stren- 
uously maintained the right of Michigan to the strip 
of territory now forming the northern boundary of 
Ohio, which formed the subject of such grave dispute 
between Ohio and Michigan at the time of the ad- 
mission of the latter into the Union. He served 
but one term as delegate to Congress, de- 
clining further service on account of personal and 
family considerations. Mr. \V. continued to discharge 
the duties of Secretary of the Territory' up to the time 
its Government passed into the "second grade." 

In 1824, he was appointed one of a board of 
commissioners for adjusting private land claims in 




the Territory, and was engaged also in the practice of 
his profession, having the best law library in the Ter- 
ritory. In 1828, ujxin the recommendation of the 
Governor, Judges and others, he was appointed by the 
President, J. (^. Adams, to succeed Hon. James With- 
erell, who had resigned as a Judge of what is conven- 
tionally called the "Supreme Court" of the Territory. 
This court was apparently a continuation of the Terri- 
torial Court, under the "first grade" or "(lovernor and 
Judges" system. .Mthough it was supreme in its ju- 
dicial functions within the Territory, its powers and 
duties were of a very general character. 

In 1832, the term of his apixsintment as Judge ex- 
piring, President Jackson appointed a successor, it is 
supjx)sed on jxjlitical grounds, much to the disapix)int- 
ment of the public and the bar of the Territory. The 
partisan feeling of the time extended into the Terri- 
tory, and its people began to think of assuming the 
dignity of a State government. Party lines becom- 
ing very sharply drawn, he identified himself with 
the Whigs and was elected a member of the Conven- 
tion of 1835, which formed the first .State (\)nstitution. 
In 1837 he was elected amember of the i:tate Senate. 

This sketch has purposely dealt somewhat in detail 
with what may be called Judge W's. earlier career, 
because it is closely identified with the early his- 
tory of tlie State, and the development of its jioliti- 
cal system. Since the organization of the State Gov- 
ernment the history of Michigan is more familiar, and 
hence no review of Judge W's career as Governor 
and Senator will be attempted. He was elected Gov- 
ernor in 1S39, under a popular impression that the 
aff\iirs of the State had not been prudently adminis- 
tered by the Democrats. He sers'ed as Governor but 
little more than a year, when he was elected to the 
Senate of the United States. 

His term in the Senate practically closed his ]X)lit- 
ical life, although he was strongly urged by many 
prominent men for the Whig nomination for Vice 
President in r848. 

Soon after his api»intment as Judge in 1828, Gov- 
ernor W. took up his residence on a tract of land 
which he owned in the township of Spring Wells, a 
short distance below what was then the corporate lim- 
its of Detroit, where he resided during the remainder 
of his life. Both in his public papers and private 
communications. Governor AV. shows himself a mas- 
ter of language; he is fruitful in simile and illustra- 
tion, logical in arrangement, hapj)y in the choice and 
treatment of topics, and terse and vigorous in expres- 
sion. Judge W. was aCongregationalist. His opinions 
on all subjects were decided ; he was earnest and 
energetic, courteous and dignified, and at times ex- 
hibited a vein of fine humor that was the more at- 
tractive because not too often allowed to come to the 
surface. His letters and addresses show a deep and 
earnest affection not only for his ancestral home, but 
the home of his adopti)n and for friends and family. 



*^ 



.s>. 

i 






r 






^^^^ 



■^=^Dfl5c?Dllv>^^ 



Si-f^^^ 




¥ VE^ :J 




GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. \\x<. 



<b 



^ 

/N 



:-<e 






-^ 







xJOHN S. BARRY 



'^.r^t.-j' .-'i' .-i'-; i',.^i)t^'sgi'^'^t^'.v ■' : ■' • -: ' '. '. Vi^t^c^f.. 







OHN STEWARD BARRY, 

■ Governor of Michigan from 
Jan. 3, 1842, to Jan. 5, 1846, 
md from Jan. 7, 1850, to Jan. 
I, 1852, was born at Amherst, 
N. H., Jan. 29, 1802. His par- 
ents, John and Ellen (Steward) 
Barry, early removed to Rocking- 
ham, Vt., where he remained until 
% he became of age, working on his 
father's farm, and pursuing his 
studies at the same time. He mar- 
ried Mary Kidder, of Grafton, Vt., 
and in 1824 went to Georgia, Vt., 
where he had charge of an academy 
for two years, meanwhile studying 
law. He afterward practiced law in 
that State. While he was in Georgia he was for some 
time a member of the Governor's staff, with the title 
of Governor's Aid, and at a somewhat earlier period 
was Captain of a company of State militia. In 1831 
he removed to Michigan, and settled at White Pigeon, 
where he engaged in mercantile business with I. W. 
Willard. 

Four years after, 1834, Mr. Barry removed to Con- 



stantine and continued his mercantile pursuits. He 
became Justice of tlie Peace at White Pigeon, Mich.> 
in 1831, and held the office until the year I835. 
Mr. Barry's first public office was that of a member 
of the first constitutional convention, which assembled 
and framed the constitution u]X)n which Michigan 
was admitted into the Union. He took an important 
and prominent part in the proceedings of that body, 
and showed himself to be a man of far more than 
ordinary ability. 

Upon Michigan being admitted into the Union, 
Mr. Barry was chosen State Senator, and so favorably 
were his associates impressed with his abilities at the 
first session of the Legislature that they looked to him 
as a party leader, and that he should head the State 
ticket at the following election. Accordingly he re- 
ceived the nomination for Governor at the hands 
of his party assembled in convention. He was 
elected, and so [wpular was his administration that, in 
1842, he was again elected. During these years 
Michigan was embarrassed by great financial diffi- 
culties, and it was through his wisdom and sound judg- 
ment that the State was finally placed upon a solid 
financial basis. 

During the first year of Gov. Barr)''s first term, the 
University at .Ann Arl)or was opened for the reception 









(r- 



1^ 



■^^n !i :^" iiiii-i>A^ — s»^§^ 



^^'^y-,^ 






of students. The Michigan Central and Michigan 
Southern railroads were being rapidly constructed, and 

^ general progress was everywhere noticeable. In 1842, 
i the number of pupils reported as attending the public 
' schools was nearly fifty-eight thousand. In 1843, ^ 

'^ State land office was established at Marshall, whicli 
was invested with the charge and disposition of all 
the lands belonging to the State, In 1844, the lax- 
able property of the State was found to be over 
twenty-eight millions of dollars, the lax being at the 
rate of two mills on the dollar. The expenses of the 
State were only seventy thousand dollars, while the 
income from the railroads was nearly three hundred 
thousand dollars. At this time the University of 
Michigan had become so prosperous that its income 
was ample to pay the interest on the University debt ; 
and the amount of money which the State was able 
to loan the several progressing railroads was one 
hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Efforts were 
made to increase the efficiency of the common schools 
with good results In 1845, when Gov. Barry's sec- 
ond term expired, the population of the State was 
more than three hundred thousand. 

The constitution of the State forbade more than two 
consecutive terms, but he was called upon to fill the 
position again in 1850 — the only instance of the kind 
in the history of the State. He was a member of the 
Territorial Legislature, of the Constitutional Conven- 
tion, and afterward of the State House of Represent- 
ative. 

During Mr. Barry's third term as Governor the Nor- 
mal School was established at Ypsilanti, which was 
endowed with lands and placed in charge of a board 
of education consisting of six persons. A new con- 
stitution for the government of the State was also 
adopted and the " Great Railway Conspiracy Case " 
was tried. This grew out of a series of lawless acts 
which had been committed upon the property of the 
Michigan Central Railroad Company, along the line 
of their road, and finally tiie burning of the depot 
at Detroit, in 1850. 

At a setting of the grand jur)' of Wayne County, 
April 24, 1 85 1, 37 men of the 50 under arrest for this 
crime were indicted. May 20, following, the accused 
parties appeared at the Circuit Court of Wayne, of 
which Warner Wing was resident judge. The Rail- 
road Company employed ten eminent lawyers, in- 
cluding David Stuart, John Van Arman, James A. 
Van Dyke, Jacob M. Howard, Alex. D. Fraser, Dan- 
iel Goodwin and William Gray. The defendants were 
represented by six members of the State bar, led by 
William H. Seward, of New York. The trial occupied 
four months, during which time the plaintiffs exam- 
ined 246 witnesses in 27 days, and the defendants 
249 in 40 days. Mr. Van Dyke addressed the jury 
for the prosecution; William H. Seward for the 
defense. 

The great lawyer was convinced of the innocence 






f 

s 



9 



;i:A^)JeS»«l- 



.^"sj^S*? ©T^^P J S 



of his clients, nor did the verdict of that jury and the 
sentence of that judge remove his firm belief that his 
clients were the victims of purchased treachery, 
rather tlian so many sacrifices to justice. 

The verdict of " guilty " was rendered at 9 o'clock 
1'. .M., Sept. 25, 1851. On the 26th the prisoners were vS 
l)ut forward to receive sentence, when many of them 
protested their entire innocence, after which the pre- 
siding judge condemned 12 of the number to the fol- 
lowing terms of imprisonment, with hard labor, within 
the State's prison, situate in their county : Ammi 
Filley, ten years; Orlando L. Williams, icn years; 
Aaron Mount, eight years; .\ndrew J. Freeland, eight 
years; Eben Farnham, eight years; William Corvin, 
eight years; Richard Price, eight years; Evan Price, 
eight years; Lyman Cliamplin, five years; Willard 
W. Champlin, five years; Erastus Champlin, five 
years; FLrastus Smith, five years. 

In 1840, Gov. Barry became deeply interested in 
the cultivation of tlie sugar beet, and visited Euro])e 
to obtain information in reference to its culture. 

He was twice Presidential Elector, and his last 
public service was that of a delegate to the National 
Democratic Convention held in Chicago in 1864. 

He was a man who, throughout life, maintained a 

high character for integrity and fidelity to tjie trusts ^^ 

bestowed upon him, whether of a public or a private ^^ 

nature, and he is acknowledged by all to have been »^ 

one of the most efficient and popular Governors the ^ 

Slate has ever had. = 

■<^• 
Gov. Barry was a man of incorruptible integrity. *L/ 

His opinions, wliich he reached by the most thorough *t 
investigation, he held tenaciously. His strong con- 
victions and outspoken lionesty made it impossible for 
him to take an undefined position when a principle 
was involved. His attachments and prejudices were 
strong, yet he was never accused of favoritism in his 
administration of public affairs, .^s a speaker lie was 
not remarkable. Solidity, rather than brilliancy, char- 
acterized liis oratory, which is described as argument- 
ative and instructive, but cold, hard, and entirely 
wanting in rhetorical ornament. He was never elo-^f' 
quent, seldom humorous or sarcastic, and in manner r 
rather awkward. 

.•\lthough Mr. Barry's educational advantages were 
so limited, he was a life-long student. He mastered 
both ancient and modern languages, and acquired a 
thorough knowledge of historj'. No man owed less 
to political intrigue as a means of gaining posi- 
tion. He was a true statesman, and gained pul>lii es- ^ - 
teem by his solid worth. His political connections 
were always with the Democratic party, and his oiiin- 
ions were usually extreme. '_ 

Mr. Barry retired to private life after tlie beginning K; 
of the ascendency of the Republican party, and car- ^ 
ried on his mercantile business at Constantine. He X 
died Jan. 14, 1S70, his wife's death having occurred a 
year previous, March 30, 1869. They left no children. •'. 

r 



4^^C(®>Nv/ 





^4 



^ 




<>.\ 



^i>-r- 



GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 






''i^....^ ^>.,^ ^M*. ^W^ v../-- --'. — ■ ^ ■. 






^^^\^^^:^^ 




LPHEUS FELCH, the third 
Ciovernor of Michigan, was 
born in Limerick, Maine, Sep- 
tember 28, 1806. His grand- 
father, Abijah Felch, was a sol- 
'■-- dier in the Revolution ; and 
when a young man, having with 
others obtained a grant of land be- 
tween the Great and Little Ossipee 
Rivers, in Maine, moved to thatre- 
Dn when it was yet a wilderness. 
The father of Mr. Felch embarked in 
mercantile life at Limerick. He was 
the first to engage in that business in 
that section, and continued it until 
his death. The death of the father, 
followed within a year by the death of 
the mother, left the subject of this sketch, then three 
years old, to the care of relatives, and he found a 
home with his paternal grandfather, where he re- 
mained until his death. Mr Felch received his early 
education in the district school and a neighboring 
academy. In 1821 he became a student at Phillips 
FJxter Academy, and, subse(]uently, entered Howdoin 
College, graduated with the class of 1827. He at 
once began the sttidy of law and was admitted to 
jiractice at Bangor, Me., in 1S30. 

He began the practice of his profession at Houlton, 
Me., where he remained until 1833. The severity 
of the climate impaired his health, never very good, 
and he found it necessary to seek a change of climate. 
He disposed of his library and started to seek 
a new home. His intention was to join liis friend. 



Sargent S. Prentiss, at Vicksburg, Miss., but on his 
arrival at Cincinnati, Mr. Felch was attacked by 
cholera, and when he had recovered sufficiently to 
permit of his traveling, found that the danger of the 
disease was too great to permit a journey down the 
river. He therefore determined to come to Michi- 
gan. He first began to practice in this State at Mon- 
roe, where he continued until 1843, when he removed 
to Ann Arbor. He was elected to the State Legisla- 
ture in 1835, and continued a member of that body 
during the years 1836 and 1837. While he held this 
office, the general banking law of the State was enact- 
ed, and went into operation. After mature delibera- 
tion, he became convinced that the proposed system 
of banking could not prove beneficial to the public 
interests ; and that, instead of relieving the people 
from the pecuniary difficulties under which they were 
laboring, it would result in still further embarrass- 
ment. He, therefore, opposed the bill, and }X)inted 
out to the House the disasters which, in his opinion, 
were sure to follow its passage. The public mind, 
however, was so favorably impressed by the measure 
that no other member, in either brancli of the Legisla- 
ture, raised a dissenting voice, and but two voted with 
.him in opjiosition to the bill. Early in 1838, he was 
appointed one of the Hank Commissioners of the 
State, and held that office for moie than a year. I )ur- 
ing this time, the new banking law had given birth to 
that numerous progeny known as "wild-cat" banks. 
Almost every village had its bank. The country was 
flooded with depressed "wild-cat" money. The ex- 
aminations of the Hank Commissioners brought to 
liylil frauds at every point, wliicli were fearlessly re- 



^) 



<> 



^< 



VJ 






^^^^^^ ^y^m"MM^^>^ ^'^^S^ 




;€" :j^k 6V4>llD:>:DIlf>7^^ — -5i^€^ 



ALPHEUS FELCH. 



ported to the Legislature, and were followed by crim- 
inal prosecutions of the guilty parties, and the closing 
«OT» of many of their institutions. The duties of the of- 
J fice were most laborious, and in 1839 Mr. Felch re- 
(^ signed. The chartered right of almost every l)ank 
had, in tlie meantime, been declared forfeited and 
tlie law repealed. It was subsequently decided to 
be constitutional by the Supreme Court of the .State. 
In the year 1842 Governor Felch was appointed 
to the office of Auditor General of the State; but 
after holding the office only a few weeks, was com- 
missioned by the Governor as one of the Judges of the 
Supreme Court, to fill a vacancy caused by the resig- 
nation of Judge Fletcher. In January, 1843, he was 
elected to the United States Senate for an unexpired 
term. In 1845 he was elected Governor of Michigan, 
) and entered upon his duties at the commencement of 
^ the next year. In 1847 he was elected a Senator 
^ in Congress for six years; and at once retired from 
« the office of Governor, by resignation, which took 
^ effect March 4, 1847, when liis Senatorial term com- 
menced. While a member of the Senate he acted on 
the Committee on Public Lands, and for four years 
was its Chairman. He filled the honorable position 
of Senator with becoming dignity, and with great 
credit to the State of Michigan. 

During (lovernor Felch's administration the two 
railroads belonging to the State were sold to private 
corporations,— the Central for $2,000,000, and the 
Southern for $500,000. The exports of the State 
amounted in 1846 to $4,647,608. The total capacity 
of vessels enrolled in the collection district at Detroit 
was 26,928 tons, the steam vessels having 8,400 and 
the sailing vessels 18,528 tons, the whole giving em- 
ployment to 18,000 seamen. In 1847, there were 39 
counties in the State, containing 435 townships ; and 
275 of these townships were supplied with good libra- 
ries, containing an aggregate of 37,000 volumes. 

At the close of his Senatorial term, in March, 1853, 
Mr. Felch was appointed, by President Pierce, one of 
the Commissioners to adjust and settk- the Spanish 



(!) 



i^^^©v^ 



^ 



^^v®^^tD- ^^€^ — ^-^^nn^nni^ 



and Mexican land claims in California, under the 
treaty of Gaudalupe Hidalgo, and an act of Congress 
passed for that purpose. He went to California in 
May, 1853, and was made President of the Commis- 
sion. The duties of this office were of the most im- 
portant and delicate character. The interest of the 
new State, and the fortunes of many of its citizens, 
both the native Mexican population and the recent 
American immigration ; the right of the Pueblos to 
their common lands, and of the Catholic Church to 
the lands of the Missions,— the most valuable of the 
State,— wereinvolved in the adjudicationsof this Com- 
mission. In March, 1856, their labors were brought 
to a close by the final disjiosition of all the claims 
which were presented. The record of their proceed- 
ings,— the testimony whicli was given in each case, 
and the decision of the Commissioners thereon,— 
consisting of some forty large volumes, was deposited 
in the Department of the Interior at Washington. 

In June of that year, Governor Felch returned to 
Ann Arbor, where he has since l>een engaged piinci- 
pally in legal business. Since his return he has 
been nominated fortlovernor and also for U. S. Sen- ^ 
ator, 4nd twice for Judge of the Supreme Court. Hut 
the Democratic parly, to which he lias always been 
attached, being in the minority, he failed of an elec- 
tion. In 1873 he withdrew from the active practice 
of law, and, with the exception of a tour in Europe, 
in 1875 has since led a life of retirement :it liis home 
in Ann Arbor. In 1S77 the University of Michigan 
conferred upon him the degree of LI,. I). For 
many years he was one of the Regents of Michigan 
University, and in the spring of 1879 was appointed 
Tappan Professor of Law in the same. Mr. Felch is 
the oldest surviving member of the Legislature from 
Monroe Co., the oldest and only surviving Hank Com- 
missioner of the State, the oldest surviving Auditor 
General of the State, the oldest survivingGovernorof 
the State, the oldest surviving Judge of the Supreme 
Court of Michigan, and the oldest surviving United 
States .Senator from the State of ^Ii(ili^an. 



A 






r 



I 



m 



^v^^®))(^<|*' :2^ ^ CTv ^^gn^ D P^>rr^^ >5C#sr 






GO VERNORS. 




irl- 









-^^ 



♦■s;s^*-g;S-*^;s*^;g^ 






IJLMAM l3 





IILIAM L. GREENLY^ 
iovernor of Michigan for the 
)ear 1847, ^^^^ born at Hamil- 
ton, Madison Co., N. Y., Sept. 
I S, I S 1 3. He graduated at Un- 
ion College, Schenectady, in 
1831, studied law and was ad- 
mitted to the bar in 1834. In 
1836, having removed to Michi- 
gan, he settled in Adrian, where 
he has since resided. The year 
following his arrival in Michigan 
he was elected State Senator and 
served in that capacity until 1839. 
In 1845 he was elected Lieut, (jov- 
ernor and became acting Governor 
by the resignation of Gov. Felch, 
wlio was elected to the United 
States Senate. 

The war with Mexico was brought 

to a successful termination during Gov. Greenly 's 

administration. We regret to say that there are only 

few records extant of the action of Michigan troops 

y in the Mexican war. That many went there and 

'^ fought well are points conceded ; but their names and 

'Vs^ nativity are hidden away in United States archives 



and where it is almost impossible to find them. 

The soldiers of this State deserve much of the 
credit of the memorable achievements of Co. K, 3d 
Dragoons, and Cos. A, E, and G of the U. S. Inf. 
Tlie two former of these companies, recruited in this 
State, were reduced to one-third their original num- 
ber. 

In May, iS46,the Governor of Michigan was noti- 
lied liy the War Department of the United States to 
enroll a regiment of volunteers, to be held in readi- 
ness for service whenever demanded. At his sum- 
mons 13 independent volunteer companies, r i of 
infantry and two of cavalry, at once fell into line. Of 
the infantry four companies were from Detroit, bear- 
ing the honored names of Montgomery, Lafayette, 
Scott and Brady upon their banners. Of the re- 
mainder Monroe tendered two, Lenawee County three, 
St. Clair, Berrien and Hillsdale each one, and Wayne 
County an additional company. Of these alone the 
veteran Bradys were accepted and ordered into ser- 
vice. In addition to them ten companies, making the 
Kirst Regiment of Michigan Volunteers, springing 
from various parts of the State, but embodying to a 
great degree the material of which the first volunteers 
was formed, were not called for until October follow- 
ing. This regiment was soon in readiness and pro- 
ceeded by orders from Government to the seat of war. 



i 



S#\®)5«5^- 






■^4>i?;s ;^VC^nni?^DD^>r 



< 

i 



^ 



K 













V 



(c> 



^^yy^^^^ 



-^^^ — ^-K^nn-^nnf^A:^ 



r 
t 

I 




C^^^^^Cc^^^^f-f^f'^t^^^^*^ 



GOVERNORS. 





Wy^^'^:^ 



.dmtr/>^\> :^^ 














t 



HE HON. EPAPHRODI- 

US RANSOM, the Seventh 
Governor of Michigan, was a 

native of Massachusetts. In 

■~^..,^-^jp7^2 that State he received a col- 
legiate education, studied law, 
and was admitted to the bar. 
Removing to Michigan about 
the time of its admission to the 
Union, he took up his residence 
Kalamazoo. 

Mr. Ransom served with marked 
ability for a number of years in the 
State Legislature, and in 1837 he was appointed As- 
sociate Justice of the Supreme Court. In 1843 ^^ 
was promoted to Chief Justice, which office he re- 
tained until 1845, when he resigned. 

Shortly afterwards he became deeply interested in 
the building of plank roads in the western portion of 
the State, and in this business lost the greater portion 
of the property which he had accumulated by years 
of toil and industry. 

Mr. Ransom became Governor of the State of 
Michigan in the fall of 1S47, and served during one 
term, performing the duties of the office in a truly 
statesmanlike manner. He subsequently became 
President of the Michigan Agricultural Society, in 
which position he displayed the same ability that 



shone forth so prominently in his acts as Governor. 
He held the office of Regent of the Michigan Univer- 
sity several times, and ever advocated a liberal policy 
in its management. 

Subsequently he was appointed receiver of the 
land office in one of the districts in Kansas, by Pres- 
ident Buchanan, to which State he had removed, and 
where he died before the expiration of his term of 
office. 

We sum up the events and affairs of the State un- 
der Gov. Ransom's administration as follows: The 
Asylum for the Insane was establised, as also the 
Asylum for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind. Both of 
these institutes were liberally endowed with lands, 
and each of them placed in charge of a board of five 
trustees. The appropriation in 1849 for the deaf and 
dumb and blind amounted to $81,500. On the first 
of March, 1848, the first telegraph line was com- 
pleted from New York to Detroit, and the first dis- 
patch transmitted on that day. The followmg figures 
show the progress in agriculture : The land reported 
as under cultivation in 1848 was 1,437,460 acres; of 
wheat there were produced 4,749,300 bushels; other 
grains, 8,197,767 bushels; wool, 1,645,756 pounds; 
maple sugar, 1,774,369 pounds; horses, 52,305; cat- 
tle, 210,268; swine, 152,541; sheep, 610,534; while 
the flour mills numbered 228, and the lumber mills 
amounted to 730. 1S47, an act was passed removing 
the Legislature from Detroit to Lansing, and tempo- 
rary buildings for the use of the Legislature were im- 
mediately erected, at a cost of $12,450. 



A 



¥^ 



(■ 



(^ 



? 



-A,§))^^l-^- 



^:n[i>>^t^ 



4^^^(^ 



i^S/®>)«^r 



-^^^i^ crv<^D D ^ n n Jt^TTT :2>^t 



c 



|; 



'v 



?• 
A 



1=3 

s 







^: 






^ 



? 



r'l*^ 



■«;A<iiiasilll3>A@ — s!©«^ 



f 



f 



<?1>^ 









^^^^(^^^-^r:? 



(£>)g^^" 



GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 



^^^^^^^®\$^i 



129 



(h 




^> ^BEirr McClelland, g-^ : 5 





oBEKT McClelland, 

^jvtiovernor of Michigan from 
Jan. I, 1852, to March 8, 1853, 
was born at ( rreencastle, Frank- 
;(|^ hn Co., Penn., Aug. i, 1S07. 
Among his ancestors were several 
officers of rank in tlie Revohition- 
ary war, and some of his family con- 
nections were distinguished in the 
war of i8i2, and that with Mexico. 
His father was an eminent physician 
and surgeon who studied under I >r. 
lienj Rush, of Philadelphia, and 
practiced his profession successfully 
until six months before his death, at 
i the age of 84 years. .Ml hough Mr. 
McClelland's family liad been in good circum- 
stances, when he was 17 years old he was thrown 
uiwn his own resources. After taking the usual pre- 
liminary studies, and teaching school to obtain the 
means, he entered Dickinson College, at Carlisle, 
Penn., from which he graduated among the first in 
(^ his class, in 1829. He then resumed teaching, and 
having completed the course of study for the legal 
profession, was admitted to the bar at Chambersburg, 
Penn., in 1831. Soon afterward he removed to the 
city of Pittsburgh, where he practiced for almost a 
year. 

In 1833, Mr. McClelland removed to Monroe, in 



the Territory of Michigan, where, after a severe ex- 
amination, he became a member of the bar of Michi- 
gan, and engaged in practice witli bright prospect of 
success. In 1835, a convention was called to frame 
a constitution for the proposed State of Michigan, of 
which Mr. McClelland was elected a member. He 
took a prominent part in its deliberations and ranked 
among its ablest debaters. He was apix)inted the 
first Bank Commissioner of the State, by Gov. Mason, 
and received an offer of the Attorney Generalship, but 
declined both of these offices in order to attend to his 
professional duties. 

In 1838, Mr. McClelland was elected to the State 
Legislature, in which he soon became distinguished 
as the head of several imiwrtant committees. Speaker 
//•(' lempore, and as an active, zealous and efiicient 
member. In 1840, Gen. Harrison, as a candidate for 
the Presidency, swept the country with an overwhelm- 
ing majority, and at the same time the State of Michi- 
gan was carried by the Whigs under the popular cry 
of " Woodbridge and reform " against the Democratic 
party. At this time Mr. McClelland stood amongthe 
acknowledged leaders of the latter organization ; was 
elected a member of the State House of Representa- 
tives, and with others adopted a plan to regain a lost 
authority and prestige. 

This party soon came again into [xjwer in the State, 
and having been returned to the State Legislature Mr. 
McClelland's leadership was acknowledged by his 
eleclion as Speaker of the House of Representatives 






A 

V 



rn) 



S) 



m: 



u:^.^ 



<mM\i<>^. — ^«^ 




^€^<|«^ 



-a^c ^ 6"^v C>nn:t:n[iv:>r 



r^^ 



-4^^«sVM 



ROBERT McClelland 



in 1843. Down to this time Michigan had consti- 
tuted one congressional district. The late Hon. Jacob 
M. Howard had been elected against Hon Alpheus 
'€ Felch by a strong majority ; but, in 1 843, so thoroughly 
' liad the Democratic party recovered from its defeat 
(^ of 1840 that Mr. McClelland, as a candidate forCon- 
gress, carried Detroit district by a majority of about 
2,500. Mr. McClelland soon took a prominent posi- 
tion in Congress among the veterans of that body 
During his first term he was placed on Committee on 
Commerce, and organized and carried through what 
were known as the " Harbor bills." The continued 
confidence of his constituency was manifested in his 
election to the 29th Congress. At the opening of this 
session he had acquired a National reputation, and so 
favorably was he known as a pavlimentarian that his 
name was mentioned for Speaker of the House of Rep- 
resentatives He declined the offer in favor of J. W. 
Davis, of Indiana, who was elected. During this term 
he became Chairman of Committee on Commerce, in 
which position his reports and advocacy of important 
measures at once attracted public attention. The 
members of this committee, as an evidence of the es- 
teem in which they held his services and of their 
personal regard for him, presented him with a cane 
which he retains as a souvenir of the donors, and of 
his labors in Congress. 

In 1847, Mr McClelland was re-elected to Con- 

gress, and at the opening of the 3olh Congress be- 

= came a member of the Committee on Foreign Rela- 
Si/ tions. While acting in this capacity, what was known 
as the " French Spoliation Bill" came under his sjjc- 
cial charge, and his management of the same was such 
as to command uuiversat approbation. While in 
Congress, Mr McClelland was an advocate of the 
right of petition as maintained by John Q, Adams, 
when the petition, was clothed in decorous language 
and presented in the proper manner This he re- 
garded as the citizens'constitutional right which should 
not be impaired by any doctrines of temporary expe- 
diency. He also voted for the adoption of Mr. Gid- 
dings's bill for the abolishing of slavery in the District 
of Columbia Mr McClelland was one of the few 
Democrats associated with David Wilmot, of Penn- 
sylvania, in bringing forward the celebrated "Wilmot 
Proviso," with a view to prevent further extension of 
slavery in new territory which might be acquired by 
the United States. He and Mr Wilmot were to- 
gether at the time in Washington, and on intimate 
and confidential terms, Mr McClelland was in sev 

Teral National conventions and in the Baltimore con- 
vention, which nominated Oen. Cass for President, 
K.^ in 1848, doing valiant service that year for the elec- 
(^ tion of that distinguished statesman. On leaving 
^t Congress, in 1848, Mr. McClellind returned to the 
^S practice of his profession at Monroe. In 1850 a 
\~^ convention of the State of Michigan was called to 
^ revise the State constitution. He was elected a 






>J 



^) 



member and was regarded therein as among the ablest 
and most experienced leaders His clear judgment 
and wise moderation were conspicuous, both in the 
committee room and on the floor, in debate. In 1850, 
he was President of the Democratic Stateconvention 
which adopted resolutions in supix)rt of Henry Clay's 
famous compromise measures, of which Mr McClel- 
land was a strong advocate He was a member of 
the Democratic National convention in 1852, and in 
that year in company with Gen Cass and Governor 
Felcli he made a thorough canvass of the State. 
He continued earnestly to advocate the Clay com- 
promise measures, and took an active part in the 
canvass which resulted in the election of Gen Pierce 
to the Presidency 

In 185 [, the new Stats constitution took effect and 
it was necessary that a Governov should be elected 
for one yeai in order to prevent an interregnum, and 
to bring the State Government into operation under 
the new constitution Mr McClelland was elected 
Governor, and in the fall of 1852 was re-elected foi 
a term of two years, from Jan i, 1853. His admin- 
istration was regarded as wise, prudent and concilia- 
tory, and was as popular as could be expected at a 
time when parley spirit ran high. There was really 
no opposition, and when he resigned, in March, r853, 
the State Treasury was well filled, and the State 
otherwise prosperous So widely and favorably had 
Mr. McClelland become known as a statesman that on 
the organization of thecabir.et by President Pierce, in 
March, 1853, he was made Secretary of the Interior, in 
which capacity he served most creditably during four 
years of the Pierce administration He thoroughly 
re-organized his department and reduced the expend- 
itures. He adopted a course with the Indians which 
relieved them from the impositions and annoyances 
of the traders, and produced harmony and civilization 
among them. During his administration there was 
neither complaint from the tribes nor corruption among 
agents, and he left the department in jjerfect order 
and system In 1867, Michigan again calle 1 a con- 
vention to revise the State constitution Mr. McClel- 
land was a member and liere again his long experi- 
ence made him conspicuous as a prudent adviser, a 
sagacious parliamentary leader. As a lawyer he was 
terse and pointed in argument, clear, candid and im- 
pressive in his addresses to the jury. His sincerity 
and earnestness, with which was occasionally mingled 
a jjleasant humor, made him an able and effective 
advocate. In speaking before the people on political 
subjects he was especially forcible and happy. In 
1870 he made the tour of Europe, which, through his 
extensive personal accpiaintance with European di))- 
lomates, he was enabled to enjoy much more than 
most travelers 

Mr. McClelland married, in 1S37, Miss Sarah 
E. Sabin, of Williamstown, Mass. They have had 
six children, two of whom now survive. 






V, 



si 



s:^- 



r 



■J 



g|KV®>5«^^ 



^^i^^^y-j^^ 



^<^n^M<^>^^ — ss«?:?y^ 



-*^t^^^ 





-^-z^-e^-^^. 



m 



^ 



T 



<m^m> 



T 



r^^'^ 



GO VERNORS OF MICHTGAN. 






>^ 



X 



~\ 






t 







^-sr 



ANDREW PARSOXS. 






-k^ 




NDREW PARSONS, Gover- 
^) nor of Michigan from Marcli 
'" 8, 1853 to Jan. 3, [855, was 
born in the town of Hoosick, 
County of Rensselaer, and 
^*^ State of New York, on the 2 2d 
day of July, 1817, and died June 
6, 1855, at the early age of 38 
>ears. He was the son of John 
Parsons, born at Newbury port, 
.Mass., Oct. 2, 1782, and who was the 
bonof Andrew Parsons, a Revolutionary 
soldier, who was the son of Phineas 
Parsons, the son of Samuel Parsons, 
a descendant of Walter Parsons, born 
in Ireland in 1290. 
Of this name and family, some one hundred and 
thirty years ago. Bishop Oilson remarked in his edi- 
tion of Camden's Britannia: "The honorable family 
of Parsons have been advanced to the dignity fif 
Viscounts and more lately Earls of Ross." 

The following are descendants of these families : 
Sir John Parsons, born 1 481, was Mayor of Hereford; 
Robert Parsons, born in 1546, lived near Bridgewater, 
England. He was educated at Ballial College, Ox- 
ford, and was a noted writer and defender of the 
Romish faith. He established an English C'ollege at 
Rome and another at Valladolia. Frances Parsons, 
iiorn in 1556, was Vicar of Rothwell, in Notingham; 
Bartholomew Parsons, born in 1618, was another 
noted member of the family. In 1634, Thomas Parsons 
was knighted by Charles i. Joseph and Benjamin, 
brothers, were born in Great Torrington, England, 



^^l^\^^m^ 



v^ 



and accompanied their father and others to New 
England about 1630. Samuel Parsons, born at Salis- 
bury, Mass., in 1707, graduated at Harvard College in 
1730, ordained at Rye, N. H.,Nov. 3, 1736, married 
Mary Jones, daughter of Samuel Jones, of Boston, 
Oct. 9, 1739, died Jan. 4, 1789, at the age of 82, in 
the S3rd year of his ministry. The grandfather of Maty 
Jones was Capt. John Adams, of Boston, grandson 
of Henry, of Braintree, who was among the first set- 
tlers of Massachusetts, and from whom a numerous 
race of the name are descended, including two Presi- 
dents of the United States. The Parsons have be- 
come very numerous and are found throughout New 
England, and many of the descedants are scattered 
in all parts of the United States, and especially in 
the Middle and Western States. Governor Andrew 
Parsons came to Michigan in 1835, at the age of 17 
years, and spent the first summer at Lower Ann 
.^rbor, where for a few months he taught school which 
he was compelled to abandon from ill healtii 

He was one of the large number of men of sterling 
worth, who came from the Ivast to Michigan when it 
was an infant State, or, even prior to its assuming 
the dignity of a State, and who, by their wisdom, 
enterprise and energy, have developed its wonderful 
natural resources, until to-day it ranks with the proud- 
est States of the Union. These brave men came to 
Michigan with nothing to aid them in the conquest 
of the wilderness save courageous hearts and strong 
and willing hands. They gloriously con<|uered, how- 
ever, and to them is due all honor for the labors 
so nobly performed, for the solid and sure foundation 
which they laid of a great Commonwealth. 



9 



V) 



11 



r-'f'sp^fzl. 



Wk^^^i^^^- 



134 



ANDREW PARSONS 



^^^^^f^\^^ 



xV In the fall of 1835, he explored the Grand River 
'A Valley in a frail canoe, the whole length of the river, 
^ from Jackson to Lake Michigan, and spent the following 
T winter as clerk in a store at Prairie Creek, in Ionia, 
County, and in the spring went to Marshall, where he 
resided with his brother, the Hon. Luke H. Parsons, 
also now deceased, until fall, when he went to Shia- 
w"asseCounty,then with Clinton County, andan almost 
unbroken wilderness and constituting one organized 
township. In 1837 'his territory was organized into 
a county and, at the age of only 19 years, he (An- 
drew) was elected County Clerk. In 1840, he was 
elected Register of Deeds, re-elected in 1842, and 
also in 1S44. In 1846, he was elected to the State 
Senate, was appointed Prosecuting Attorney in 1848, 
and elected Regent of the University in 1851, and 
) Lieutenant Governor, and became acting Governor, 
> in 1853, elected again to the Legislature in 1854, and, 
,f^ overcome by debilitated health, hard labor and the 
res[X)nsibilities of his office and cares of his business, 
retired to his farm, where he died soon after. 

He was a fluent and i)ersuasive speaker and well 
calculated to make friends of his acquantances. He 
was always true to his trust, and the whole world 
could not persuade nor drive him to do what he con- 
ceived to be wrong. When Governor, a most power- 
ful railroad influence was brought to bear upon him, 
to induce him to call an extra session of the Legisla- 
ture. Meetings were held in all parts of the State 
for that purpose. In some sections the resolutions 
were of a laudatory nature, intending to make him do 
their bidding by resort to friendly and flattering words. 
In other i)laces the resolutions were of a demanding 
nature, while in others they were threatening beyond 
measure. Fearing that all these influences might 
fail to induce him to call the extra session, a large 
sum of money was sent him, and liberal offers ten- 
dered him if he would gratify tlie railroad interest of 
the State and call the extra session, but, immovable, 
he returned the money and refused to receive 
any favois, whether from any party who would at- 
tempt to corrupt him by laudations, liberal ofl"ers, or 



i 
f 



by threats, and in a short letter to the people, after 
giving overwhelming reasons that no sensible man 
could dispute, showing the circumstances were not 
"extraordinary," he refused to call the extra session. 
This brought down the wrath of various parties upon 
his Tiead, but they were soon forced to acknowledge 
the wisdom and the justice of his course. One of 
his greatest enemies said, after a long acquaintance : 
"though not always coinciding with his views 1 never 
doubted his Iionesty of purpose. He at all times 
sought to perform his duties in strict accordance, 
with the dictates of his conscience, and the behests 
ofhisoath." The following eulogium from a [xjlitcalop- 
[xment is just in its conception and creditable to its 
author: "Gov. Parsons was a politician of the Dem- 
ocratic school, a man of pure moral character, fixed 
and exemplary iiabits, and entirely blameless in every 
public and private relation of life. As a ixilitician he 
was candid, frank and free from bitterness, as an ex- 
ecutive ofiicer firm, constant and reliable." The 
highest commendations we can pay the deceased is 
to give his just record, — that of being an honest man. 
In the spring of r854, during the administration of 
Governor I'aisons, the Republican party, at least 
as a State organization, was first formed in the United 
States " under the oaks " at Jackson, by anti-slavery 
men of both the old parties. Great e.xcitement pre- 
vailed at this time, occasioned by the settling of 
Kansas, and the issue thereby brought up, whether 
slavery should exist there. For the ])urposeof permit- 
ting slavery there, the " Missouri compromise " (which 
limited slavery to the south of 36" 30') was re- 
repealed, under the leadership of Stephen A, Douglas. 
Phis was repealed by a bill admitting Kansas and 
Nebraska into the Union, as Territories, and those who 
were opiX)sed to this repeal measure were in short 
called "anti-Nebraska" men. The epithets, "Ne- 
braska" and "anti-Nebraska," were teniiKsrally em- 
ployed to designate the slavery and anti-slavery 
parties, pending the desolution of the old Democratic 
and Whig parties and the organization of the new 
Democratic and Republican parties of the present. 



*C 



A 



>. 






r> 



I 



^ 





GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 



137 



J 






INSLEY S. BINGHAiM, 
Governor of Michigan from 
1855 'o 1859, and United 
States Senator, was born in 
G^^^^p^^f^ST Camilliis, Onondaga County, 
feM^^ N. v., Dec. 16, ,808. His 
father was a farmer, and liis own 
early life was consequently de- 
voted to agricultural pursuits, but 
notwithstanding the disadvan- 
tages related to the acquisition 
of knowledge in the life of a farmer 
he managed to secure a good aca- 
demic education in his native State 
and studied law in the office of 
Gen. James R. Lawrence, now of 
Syracuse, N. Y. In the spring of 
1833, he married an estimable lady 
who had recently arrived from Scot- 
land, and obeying the impulse of a 
naturally enterprising disposition, 
he emigrated to Michigan and 
purchased a new farm in company 
' with his brother-in-law, Mr. Robert 
Worden, in Green Oak, Livingston County. Here, on 
the border of civilization, buried in the primeval for- 
est, our late student commenced the arduous task of 
preparing a future home, clearing and fencing, put- 
ting up buildings, etc., at such a rate that the land 



VS' 






chosen was soon reduced to a high stale of cultivation. 
Becoming deservedly prominent, Mr. Bingham was 
elected to the office of Justice of the Peace and Post- 
master under the Territorial government, and was the 
first Probate Judge in the county. In the year 1836, 
when Michigan became a State, he was elected to the 
first Legislature. He was four times re-elected, and 
Speaker of the House of Representatives three years. V 
In 1 846 he was elected on the Democratic ticket, Re[> 
resentative to Congress, and was the only practical 
farmer in that body. He was never forgetful of the 
interest of agriculture, and was in particular opposed 
to the introduction of " Wood's Patent (\ist Iron 
Plow" which he completely prevented. He was re- 
elected to Congress in 1848, during which time he 
strongly opposed the e.xtension of slavery in the 
territory of the United States and was committed to 
and voted for the Wilmot Proviso. 

In 1854, at the first organization of the Republican 
party, in consequence of his record in Congress as a 
Free Soil Democrat, Mr. Bingham was nominated 
and elected Governor of the State, and re-elected in 
1856. Still faithful to the memory of his own former 
occupation, he did not forget the farmers during his 
administration, and among other profits of his zeal in 
their behalf, he became mainly instrumental in the 
establishment of the Agricultural College at Lansing. 
In 1859, Governor Bingham was elected Senator in 
Congress and took an active part in the stormy cam- 
paign in the election of Abraham Lincoln. He wit- 



:< 



(: 



i^'\^^))«^#« ^^mr- — --^<^flii:^Dll>> 



.4=^ 



4^^^^f®X^ 



>vi-^ 



> i«S 



■r<*l^llr>T- 



■.\3Z^ri MIXGHAJi. 




or 

6 Ac 



^— ^X''-.:;c-. i 











to . 
_ of ife-- 



-■UllLllUll^ 






•i'sm snle hatve Ik . 






i 
i 



OU>'Bi^i 



piiCMsaoec^ 






' ^~°*-C. **<I ^li^t ■"' BKMe tkm $15 ar 
be pud far tke bacm a*d oolk^ s^oobc- 
teae «:tsape»ed wstodeaBsn Mar. i?f - 

ir«cl ^ s{!ciag at iS4i. k was . 
qf AeSfca>eBtaadof E*aariB»: ^ 
kas bee* aBikr cfe I 



>^ 



■^5>5f?a*^ 





^^"^Ue^ ^t^^J^-^t^t^. 



p 






1 



V 



(^ 



t 



^^(^^ zi^j^^ ^VC-:llD^:iin^t>T^^^ :=^^ "f^^K^V^ 

GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 




V^ 



/ OSES WISNER. Governor of 
\Michigan from 185910 r86i, 
*was born in Springport, Cayu- 
I ga Co., N Y., June ^^, 1815. 
^_, His early education was only 
^"^ what could lie obtained at a 
common school. Agricultural labor 
md frugality of his parents gave 
him I physical constitution of >nnis- 
- ual strength and endurance, which 
was e\er preserved by temperate hab- 
In 1837 he emigrated to Michi- 
vi^ gan and purchased a farm in Lapeer 
County It was new land and he at 
■*-^ once set to work to clear it and plant 
crops. He labored diligently at his 
task for two years, when he gave up 
the idea of being a farmer, and removed to Pontiac, 
Oakland Co. Here he commenced the study of law 
in the office of his brother, George W. Wisner, and 
Rufus Hosmer In 1841 he was admitted to the bar 
and established himself in his new vocation at the 
village of Lapeer. While there he was apppointed 
by Gov. Woodbridge Prosecuting .\ttorney for that 
county, in which capacity he acquitted himself well 
and gave promise of that eminence he afterward at- 
tained in the profession. He remained at Lapeer but 
a short time, removing to Pontiac, where he became 
a member of a firm and entered fully ujxjn the 
practice. 

In politics he was like liis talented brother, a Whig 
of the Henry Clay stamp, but with a decided anti- 
slaver) bias. His practice becoming extensive, he 



took little part in politics until after the election of 
Mr. Pierce to the Presidency in 1S52, when he took an 
active part against slavery. As a lawyer he was a 
man of great ability, but relied less upon mere book 
learning than upon iiis native good sense. Liberal 
and courteous, was he yet devoted to the interest of 
liis client, and no facts escaped his attention or his 
memory which bore upon the case. He was no friend 
of trickery or artifice in conducting a case As an ad- 
vocate he had few equals. When fully aroused by the 
merits of his subject his eloipience was at once grace- 
ful and powerful His fancies supplied the most 
original, tiie most [winted illustrations, and his logic 
became a battling giant under whose heavy blows the 
adversary shrank and withered. Nature had be- 
stowed upon him rare qualities, and his powers as a 
popular orator were of a high order. 

On the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 
1854, repealing the Missouri compromise and opening 
the Territories to slavery, he was among the foremost 
in Michigan to denounce the shamful scheme. He 
actively participated in organizing and consolidating 
the eleiments opposed to it in that State, and was a 
member of the popular gathering at Jackson, in July, 
1854, which was the first formal Republican Conven- 
tion held in the United States. At this meeting the 
name " Republican " was adopted as a designation of 
tiie new party consisting of Anti-slavery, Whigs, 
Liberty men, Free Soil Democrats and all others op- 
posed to the extension of slavery and favorable to its 
expulsion from the Territories and the District of 
Columbia. At this convention Mr. W. was urged to 
accept the nomination for Attorney General of the 



I 






f 
I 



D)«^^-* 



-^«^ 



-a-^ 



<-I 



H^ 



,A. 



^ 142 



■^zJ^ko'^:^' 



MOSES IVISNF.R. 



I 



^ 

3 



V 



^ 



V 



f 
1 



State, but declined. An entire State ticket was nom- 
inated and at the annual election in November was 
elected by an average majority of nearly 10,000. 
Mr. W. was enthusiastic in the cause and brought to 
its support all his personal influence and talents. In 
his views he was bold and radical. He believed from 
the beginning that tiie political jxjwer of the slave- 
holders would have to be overthrown before quiet 
could be secured to the country. In the Presidential 
canvass of 1856 he supported the Fremont, or Re- 
publican, ticket. At the session of the Legislature of 
1857 he was a candidate for United States Senator, 
and as such received a verj- handsome support. 

In 1858, he was nominated for Governor of the 
State by the Republican convention that met at De- 
troit, and at the subsequent November election was 
chosen by a very large majority. Before the day of 
the election he had addressed the people of almost 
every county and his majority was greater even than 
that of his popular predecessor, Hon. K. S. Bingham. 
He served as Governor two years, from Jan. i, 1S59, 
to Jan. I, 1861. His first message to the Legislature 
was an able and statesman-like production, and was 
read with usual favor. It showed that he was awake 
to all the interests of the State and set forth an en- 
lightened State policy, that had its view of the rapid 
settlement of our uncultivated lands and the devel- 
opment of our immense agricultural and mineral re- 
sources. It was a document that reflected the highest 
credit upon the author. 

His term having expired Jan. i, 1861, he returned 
to his home in Pontiac, and to the practice of his 
profession. There were those in the State who 
counselled the sending of delegates to the peace con- 
ference at Washington, but Mr. VV. was opposed to all 
such temiwrizing expedients. His counsel was to 
send no delegate, but to prepare to fight. 

After Congress had met and passed the necessary' 
legislation he resoKed to take part in the war. In 
the spring and summer of 1862 he set to work to 
raise a regiment of infantry, chiefly in Oakland 
County, where he resided. His regiment, the 2 2d«* 
Michigan, was armed and equipped and ready to 
march in September, a regiment whose solid quali- 
ties were afterwards proven on many a bloody field. 
Col. W's. commission bore the date of Sept. 8, 1862. 
Before parting with his family he made his will. His 
regiment was sent to Kentucky and quartered at 




v^ 



Camp Wallace. He had ix the breaking out of the 
war turned his attention to military studies and be- 
came proficient in the ordinary rules and discipline. 
His entire attention was now devoted to his duties. 
His treatment of his men was kind, though his disci- 
pline was rigid. He iwssessed in an eminent degree 
the spirit of command, and had he lived he would 
no doubt have distinguished himself as a good 
officer. He was impatient of delay and chafed at 
being kept in Kentucky where there was so little 
l)rospect of getting at the enemy. But life in camp, 
so different from the one he had been leading, and 
ills incessant labors, coupled with that impatience 
which was so natural and so general among the vol- 
imteers in the early part of the war, soon made their 
influence felt uiwn his health. He was seized with 
typhoid fever and removed to a private house near 
Lexington. Every care which medical skill or the 
liand of friendshiiJ could bestow was rendered him. 
In the delirious wanderings of his mind he was dis- 
ciplining his men and urging them to be prepared for 
an encounter with the enemy, enlarging upon the jus- 
tice of their cause and the necessity of their crush- == 
ing the Rebellion. But the source of his most poig- »'• 
nant griet was the prospect of not heingable to come == 
to a hand-to-hand encounter with the "chivalry." 
He was proud of his regiment, and felt that if it could 
find the enemy it would cover itself with glory, — a 
distinction it afterward obtained, but not until Col. W. 
was no more. The malady baffled all medical treat- 
ment, and on the 5th day of Jan., 1863, he breathed 
his last. His remains were removed to Michigan and 
interred in the cemetery at Pontiac, where they rest 
by the side of the brave (ien. Richardson, who re- 
ceived his mortal wound at the battle of Antietam. 
Col. W. was no adventurer, although he was doubtless 
ambitious of military renown and would have striven 
for it with characteristic energy. He went to the war 
to defend and uphold the principles he had so much 
at heart. Few men were more familiar than he with 
the causes and the underlying principles that led to 
the contest. He left a wife, who was a daughter of f^ 
Gen. C. C. Hascall, of Flint, and four children to T 
mourn his loss. Toward them he ever showed the ^,. 
tenderest regard. Next to his duty their love and 
welfare engrossed his thoughts. He was kind, gen- 
erous and brave, and like thousands of others he 
sleeps the sleep of the martyr for his countr)'. 






( 



:^n(ii->A^9 — ^>^^f^ 






^^m 










(yLCcu<^ 



GO VKRNORS OF MICHIGAN. 



'45 






^ 



V 










VL. 





US TIN m.AIK, Crovernor 
of Michigan from Jan. 2, 
S61, to Jan. 4, ii'^f'5, and 
k.own as the War Governor, is 
and illustration of the benifi- 
cent influence of republican in- 
vKs L- %-- i^'"^ stitutions, having inherited neith- 
f^l er fortune nor fame. He was born 
j' .f^V^ in a log cabin at Caroline, Tomp- 
kins Co., N. Y., Feb. 8, i8i8. 
His ancestors came from Scot- 
land in the time of (leorge I, and 
for many generations followed the 
'^ pursuit of agriculture. His father, 
I George Blair, settled in Tompkins 
County in 1809, and felled the trees and erected the 
first cabin in the county. The last 60 of the four- 
score years of his life were s[)ent on that spot. He 
married Rhoda Beackman, who now sleeps with him 
in the soil of the old homestead. Tiic first 17 years 
of Mr. Blair's life were si)ent there, rendering his 
father what aid he could upon the farm. He then 
spent a year and a half in ("azenovia Seminary ])re- 
paring for college; entered Hamilton College, in 
Clinton, prosecuted his studies until the middle of 
the junior year, when, attracted by the fame of I )r. 
. Nott, he changed to Union College, from which he 
.-' graduated in the class of 1839. Upon leaving col- 
y lege Mr. Blair read law two years in the office of Sweet 
1^ & Davis, Oswego, N Y., and was admitted to practice 
in 1841, and the same year moved to Michigan, locat- 



ing in Jackson. During a temiwrary residence in 
Eaton Rapids, in 1842, he was elected Clerk of Eaton 
County. At the close of the official term he returned lo 
Jackson, and as a Whig, zealously es]X3used the cause 
of Henry Clay in the campaign of 1844. He was chosen 
Representative to the Legislature in 1845, at which 
session, as a member of the Judiciary Committee, he 
rendered valuable service in the revision of the gen- 
eral statutes ; also made an able support in favor of 
abolishing the color distinction in relation to the elec- 
tive franchise, and at the same session was active in 
securing the abolition of capital punishment. In 1848 
Mr. Blair refused longer to affiliate with the Whig 
party, because of its refusial to endorse in convention 
any anti-slavery sentiment. He joined the Free-soil 
movement, and was a delegate to their convention 
which nominated Van Buren for President that year. 
Upon the birth of the Republican party at Jackson, 
in 1854, by the coalition of the Whig and Free-soil 
elements, Mr. Blair was in full sympathy with the 
movement, and acted as a member of the Committee 
on Platform. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney 
of Jackson C'ounty in 1852 ; was chosen State Senator 
two years later, taking his seat with the incoming Re- 
publican administration of 1855, and holding the 
|)ositioii of parliamentary leader in the Senate. He 
was a delegate to the National Convention which 
nominated .Abraham Lincoln in i860. Mr. Blair 
was elected Governor of Michigan in i860, and re- 
elected in 1862, faithfully and honorably discharging 
the nrdnons dutio'; nf the office during that most mo- 



A 



c^: 






(o) 



^=^^^ 



■M}W^M<^ 



Ci. 



-^^^^p^- 







^^^^DP'^niif^ 



rr 



4»^^ 



AUSTIN BLAIR. 



mcntous and stormy period of the Nation's life. Gov. 



) 



A 



"^ 



Blair possessed a clear comprehension of the perilous 
situation from the inception of the Rebellion, and his 
inaugural address foreshadowed the prompt executive 
lX)licy and the administrative ability which charac- 
terized his gubernatorial career. 

Never perhaps in the history of a nation has a 
brighter example been l:iid down, or a greater sacri- 
fice been made, than that which distinguished Mich- 
igan during the civil war. All, from the " War Gov- 
ernor " down to the ](oorest citizen of the State, were 
animated with a ])atriotic ardor at once magniticiently 
subhme and wisely directed. 

Very early in r86i the coming struggle cast its 
shadow over the Nation. Governor Blair, in his mes- 
sage to the Legislature in January of that year, dwelt 
very forcibly upon the sad prospects of civil war; and 
as forcibly pledged the State to sup]iort the principles 
of the Republic. After a review of tiie conditions 
of the State, he passed on to a consideration of the 
relations between the free and slave States of the 

^ Republic, saying: " While we are citizens of the State 
S of Michigan, and as such deeply devoted to her in- 

v^ ) terests and honor, we have a still prouder title. We 
are also citizeas of the United States of America. By 
this title we are known among the nations of the earth. 
In remote quarters of the globe, wliere the names of 
the States are unknown, the flag of tiie great Republic, 
the banner of the stars and stripes, honor and protect 
her citizens. In whatever concerns the honor, the 
prosperity and the perpetuity of this great (lovern- 
ment, we are deeply interested. The people of Mich- 
igan are loyal to that (rovernment — faithful to its con- 
stitution and its laws. LInder it they have had peace 
and prosperity ; and under it they mean to abide to 
the end. Feeling a just pride in the glorious history 
of the past, they will not renounce the equally glo- 
rious hopes of the future. But they will rally around 

, „ the standards of the Nation and defend its integrity 

i^ and its constitution, with fidelity." The final para- 

(m graph being: 

^ " I recommend you at an eariy day to make niani- 



li/VD)«^<f- 



.£=^^ 



<^I 



fast to the gentlemen who represent this State in the 
two Houses of Congress, and to the country, that 
Michigan is loyal to the Union, the Constitution, and 
the laws and will defend them to the uttermost; and 
to |)rofrer to the President of the United States, the 
whole military [xjwer of the State for that purpose. 
Oh, for the firm, steady hand of a Washington, or a 
Jackson, to guide the ship of State in this perilous 
storm ! Let us hope that we will find him on the 4th 
of March. Meantime, let us abide in the faith of our 
fathers — ' Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, 
now and forever.' " 

How this stirring appeal was responded to by the 
people of Michigan will be seen by the statement 
that the State furnished 88,1 1 1 men during the war. 
Money, men, ctotliing and food were freely and abun- 
dantly supplied by this State during all these years of 
darkness and blood shed. No State won a brighter 
record for her devotion to our country than the Pen- 
insula State, and to Gov. Blair, more than to any 
other individual is due the credit for its untiring zeal 
and labors in the Nation's behalf, and for the heroism 
manifested in its defense. 

(iov. Blair was elected Representative to the 
Fortieth Congress, and twice re-elected, to the Forty- 
first and Forty-second Congress, from the Third Dis- 
trict of Michigan. While a member of that body lie 
was a strong supporter of reconstruction measures, 
and sternly opix)sed every form of repudiation. His 
speech upon the national finances, delivered on the 
floor of the House March 21, 1868, was a clear and 
convincing argument. Since his retirement from Con- 
gress, Mr. Blair has been busily occupied with his ex- 
tensive law practice. Mr. Blair married Sarah L. 
Ford, of Seneca County N. Y., in February, 1849. 
Their family consists of 4 sons — George H., a law 
partner of A. J. Gould ; Charles A., a law partner with 
hir father, and Fred. J. and Austin T. Blair, at home. 
Governor Blair's religion is of the broad type, and 
centers in the "Golden Rule." In 1883, Gov. Blair 
was nominated for Justice of the Supreme Court 
of the State by the Republican party, but was defeated. 




A 






r 



<> 

•? 
W- 

W^ 





;V'^ 





^ 



V 

J 



ENRY HOWLANDCRAPO, 

Governor of Michigan from 
1865 to 1869, was born May 
24, 1S04, at Dartmouth, Bris- 
tol Co., Mass., and died at 
Flint, Mich., July 22, 
He was the eldest son of Jesse 
and Phoebe (Howland) Crajx). 
His father was of French descent 
and was very poor, sustaining his 
,v B //cfamily by the cultivation of a farm in 
^^ Dartmouth township, which yielded 
nothing beyond a mere livelihood. 
His early life waS consequently one 
of toil and devoid of advantages for 
] intellectual culture, but his desire for 
an education seemed to know no bounds. The in- 
cessant toil for a mere subsistence uix)n a compara- 
tively sterile farm, had no charm for him ; and, longing 
^ for greater usefulness and better things, he looked for 
l] them in an education. His struggles to secure this 
end necessitated sacrifices and hardships that would 
have discouraged any but the most courageous and 
persevering. He became an ardent student and 
worker from his boyhood, though the means of carry- 
ing on his studies were exceedingly limited. He 
sorely felt the need of a dictionary; and, neither having 
'S^ money wherewith to purchase it, nor being able to 
procure one in his neighliorhood, he set out to compile 
one for himself. In order to acquire a knowledge of 
the Knglish language, he c()|)ied into a book every 
,/ word whose meaning he did not comiirehend, and 
'^ u|x>p meeting the same word again in the newsi)apers 
\^ and books, which came into his hands, from the 



>l 



context, would then record the definition. Whenever 
unable otherwise to obtain the signification of a word 
in which he had become interested he would walk 
from Dartmouth to New Bedford for that purpose 
alone, and after referring to the books at the library 
and satisfynig himself thoroughly as to its definition, 
would walk back, a distance of about seven miles, 
the same night. This was no unusual circumstance. 
Under such difficulties and in this manner he com- 
piled quite an extensive dictionary in manuscript 
which is believed to be still in existence. 

Ever in pursuit of knowledge, he obtained jwsses- 
sion of a book upon surveying, and applying himself 
diligently to its study became familiar with this art, 
which he soon had an opixirtunity to practice. The 
services of a land surveyor were wanted, and he was 
called ujjon, l)ut had no compass and no money with 
which to purchase one. A compass, however, he 
must and would have, and going to a blacksmith shop 
near at hand, uix)n the forge, with such tools as he 
could find in the shop, while the smith was at dinner, 
he constructed the compass and commenced life as a 
surveyor. Still continuing his studies, he fitted him- 
self for teaching, and took charge of the village school 
at Dartmouth. When, in the course of time and un- 
der the pressure of law, a high school was to be 
opened, he passed a successful e.xamination for its 
principalship and received the appointment. To do 
this was no small task. The law reepiired a rigid 
examination in various subjects, which necessitated 
days and nights of study. One evening, after con- 
cluding his day's labor of teaching, he traveled on foot 
to New Bedford, some seven or eight miles, called 
upon the preceptor of Friend's Academy and passed 






u. 



D^^^" 



-isi^^^ 



^^limillli> 



^X-- 



m 



^^ 



-^ 



<-^Iin»:DIl^>r 



4^^f®V|^; 



'50 



HENRY HOWLAND CRAPO. 



a severe examination. Receiving a certificate that 
lie was (iiialified, lie walked back to his home the 
same night, highly elated in bcinii, |)ossessed of the 
acciuireuieiits and reciiiircments of a master of the 
high scho<il. 

In 1S32, at the age of jS years, ho left his native 
town and went to reside at New Bedford, where he 
followed the occupation of land surveyor, and oc- 
casionally ai'ted as an auctioneer Soon alter becom- 
ing a citizen of this place, he was electeil 'rownderk, 
Treasurer, andCollectorof taxes, which office he held 
until the municip;il government was changed, — about 
fifteen years, — when, upon the inauguration of the city 
government, he was elected Treasurer and Collector 

V,J of taxes, a (Kisitlon which he held two or three years. 

"<S He was also Justice of the Peace for many years. 
He was elected Alderman of New Bedford ; was 
Chairman of Council Committee on Education, and 
as such prei)ared a rejiort \\\>o\\ which was based the 
order for the est.iblishment of the free Public Libraiy 
of New Bedford. On its organization, Mr. Crape was 
chosen a member of the Board of Trustees. This 
was the first free public library in Massachusetts, if 
not in the world. The Boston Free Library was es- 
tablislud, however, soon afterwards. While a resident 
in New Bedl'i>rd, he was much interesteil in horticul- 
ture, and to obtain the lanil necessary forcarr)'ingout 
his ideas he drained and reclaimed several acres of 
rocky and swampy l.ind adjoining his garden. Here 
he started .1 nursery, which he filled with almost every 
descriinion ot fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, 
. Mowers, etc. In this he was very successful and took 
great pride. He was a regidarcontributorto the New 
Rngland Horticultural journal, a (Xjsition he filled 
as long as he lived in M.issachusetts. .\s an indica- 
tion of the wide reput.ition he acipiired in that field 
of labor, it may be mentioned that after his death an 
affecting eulogy to his memory was pronounced by the 
President of tlie National Horticultural Society at its 
meeting in Phihulclphia, in iS'x). During his resi- 
dence in New Bedl'oril, .Mr. Cra|X) was also engaged 
in the whaling business. .\ fine banpie built at Dart- 
mouth, of which he was part owner, was named the 
"H. H. Crai>i" in comjilinient to him. 

Mr. C. also took part in the State Militia, and for 
several years held a commission as Colonel of one of 
the regiments. He was President of the Bristol 
Comity Mutual Fire Insurance Co., and Secretary of 
the Bedford Connnercial Insurance Company in New 
Bedford; and while an officer of the munici|)al gov- 

^ ernmeni hecompiled and publisheil, between the years 
i.Sjfiaiul iS.)3, five numbers of the New Bedfi>rd 
Directory, the first work of the kind ever i>ublisheil 
there. 

Mr. C". removed to Michigan in 185(1, having been 
induced to do so bv investments made principallv in 

f(^ pine lands, first in 1857 and subsc<)nently in 1856. 

\^ He took up his residence in the city of Flint, and en- 



) 



1=2 



k) 



gaged largely in the manufacture and sale of lumber 
at Flint, l-'entonville. Holly and Detroit, becoming 
one of the largest aiul most successful business men 
of the State. He was mainly instrimiental in the 
construction of the Flint & Holly R. R., and was 
President of that corporation until its consolidation yfc 
with the Flint i\: Pere Manpielte R. R. Company. 
He was elected .Mayor of that city after he had been 
a resident of the place only five cr six years. In 
1862 he was elected State Senator. In the fall of 
1864 he received the nomination on the Republican 
ticket forCiovernor of the State, and was elected by a 
large majority. He was re-elected in 1866, holding 
the office two terms, and retiring in Jaiuiarv, 1869, 
having given the greatest satisfaction to all parties. 

While serving his last term he was attacked with a 
disease which terminated his life within one year 
afterwards. During much of this time he was an in- 
tense sufferer, yet often while in great pain gave his 
attention to publit- matters. .\ few weeks previous 
to his death a successful surgical operation was i)er- 
formed which seemed rapidly tq restore him, but he 
overestimated his strength, and by too much exertion 
in business matters and State affairs suffered a relapse 
from which there was no rebound, and he died July 
.;.;. 'S69. 

In the early part of his life. Gov. Crajxi affiliated 
with the Whig (larty in [wlitics, but became an active 
member of the Republican party after its organization. 
He was a member of the Christian (sometimes called 
the Disci[iles'j Church, and took great interest in its 
welfare and [irosperity. 

Mr. C. married, June 9, 1825, Mary .\. Slocum, 
of Dartmouth. His marriage took place soon alter 
he had attained his majority, and before his struggles 
with fortime had been rewarded with any great meas- 
ure of success. But his w ife was a woman of great 
strength of character and |K)ssessed of courage, hope- 
fulness and devotion, qualities which sustained and 
encouraged her husband in the various imrsuits of 
his early years. For several years alter his marriage 
he was engaged in teaching si hool, his wife living 
with her parents at the time, at whose home his two 
older children were born. While thus situated he 
was accustomed to walk home on Saturday to see 
his familv, returning on Sunday in order to be reaily 
for scluKil Monday morning. .\s the walk lor a ginnl 
part of the time was 20 miles each way, it is evident 
that at that period of his life no common obstacles 
deterred him from performing what he regarded 
as a dutv. His wife was none the less consci- 
entious in her sphere, and with added resiKinsibilities 
and increasing reipiirc-menls she labored faithfully 
in the perfoMnance of all her duties. They had 
leu children, one son and nine daughters. His son, 
Hon. Win. W. CraiKi, of New Bedford, is now an 
honored Representative to Congress from the First 
Congressional District of Massachusetts. 



A 



>: 






jfM 




^^^^^«^V-^ ty^ c^^^cj.-^^?^ 



»/®)«^*^ »«** 



US 



V 



'^ 






GO VI'.RNCRS OF MICHIGAN. 



•Zi^i. 






153 



j^cytp-u^iiri"^''^ 



• L^r'^S,S3^%/ 



■k^c 



J-* 



'•■^ 



MEI^BT F, IBAILBWIKo 



?>'' V , 



ei.« -otJiae/siS-"^ 



^% 



^ 







^^T/r^Tf^vi KNRY P. BALDWIN, Gov- 
J".'] !w/ 4 4) ernoi- of Michii^an fn 

r ^'i?^4, 1869, to Jan. i, 187^, ._ .. 
lineil descendant of Nathan- 
iel Baldwin, a Puritan, of Buck- 
inghamshire, England, who set- 
tled at Milford, Conn., in 1639. 
Hib father was John Baldwin, 
a graduate of Dartmouth Col- 
lege He died at North Provi- 
dence, R. I., in 1826. His 
paternal grandfather was Rev. 
Moses . Baldwin, a graduate of 
Princeton College, in 1757, and the 
first who received collegiate hon- 
ors at that ancient and honored institution. He died 
at Parma, Mass., in 1813, where for more than 50 
years he had been pastor of the Presbyterian C'hurch. 
On his mother's .side (iovernor B. is descended from 
Robert Williams, also a Puritan, who settled in Ro.\- 
liury, Mass., about 1638. His mother was a daughter 
of Rev. Nehemiah Williams, a graduate of Harvard 
College, who died at Brimfieid, Mass., in 1796, where 
tor 21 years he was pastor of the Congregationalist 
Church. The subject of this sketch was born at 
Coventry, R. I., Feb. 22, 1814. He received a New 
England common-school education until the age of 
12 years, when, both his parents having died, he be- 
came a clerk in a mercantile establishment. He re- 
mained there, employing his leisuic hours in study, 
until 20 years of age. 

At this early period Mr. B. engaged in business on 
his own account. He made a visit to the West, in 
1837, which resulted in his removal to Detroit in the 
spring of 1838. Here he established a mercantile 
house which has been successfully conducted until 
the present time. Although he successfully conducted 

^1 



,;;j55^*»^E*-S,<^3§<iyZrj7rjv-^J^ 



a large business, he has ever taken a deep interest in 
all things affecting the prosperity of the city and 
Stale of his adoption. He was for several years a 
Director and President of the Detroit Voung Men's 
Society, an institution with a large library designed 
for the benefit of young men and citizens generally. 
Kw Episcopalian in religious belief, he has been 
prominent in home matters connected with that de- 
nomination. The large and flourishing |)arish of St. 
John, Detroit, originated with tlovernor Baldwin, who 
gave the lot on which the parish edifice stands, and 
also contributed the larger share of the cost of their 
erection. Governor B. was one of the foremost in 
the establishment of St. Luke's Hospital, and has 
always been a liberal contributor to moral and relig- 
ious enterprises whether connected with his own 
Church or not. There have been, in fact, but few- 
public and social improvements of Detroit during the 
past 40 years with which (iovernor B.'s name is not 
in some way connected. He was a director in the 
Michigan State Bank until the expiration of its char- 
ter, and has been President of tlie Second National 
Bank since its organization. 

In i860, Mr. Baldwin was elected to the State 
Senate, of Michigan ; during the years of 1861 -'2 he 
was made Chairman of the Finance Committee, a 
member of Committee on Banks and Incorporations, 
Chairman of the Select Joint Committee of the two 
Houses for the investigation of the Treasury Depart- 
ment and the official acts of the Treasurer, and of 
the letting of the contract for the improvement of 
Sault St. Marie Ship Canal. He was first elected 
Governor in 1868 and was re-elected in 1870, serving 
from 186910 1872, inclusive. It is no undeserved 
eulogy to say that Governor B.'s happy faculty of es- 
timating the necessary means to an end — the knowing 
of how much effort or attention to bestow ui)on the 
thing in hand, has been the secret of the uniform 



^. 



yk 









1^' 



^'V®>)e^# 



r<^:nD>>A- 



c^ 



^Si^^ 






(Oj 



<>Mmh>rr 



(O 



1=2 

I 



rSN 



154 



HENRY P. BALDWIN. 



-^^&isr 



-^^m^^yiM; 



h&^ 



success that has attended his efforts in all relations 
of life. The same industry and accuracy that dis- 
tinguished him itrior to this term as Governor was 
manifest in his career as the chief magistrate of the 
State, and while his influence appears in all things 
with which he has liad to do, it is more noticeable in 
the most prominent position to which he was called. 
With rare exceptions the important commendations 
of Governor 15. received the sanction of the Legislat- 
ure. During his administration marked improve- 
ments were made in the charitable, penal and reforma- 
tory institutions of the State. The State Public School 
for dependent children was founded and a permanent 
commission for the supervision of the several State 
institutions. The initiatory steps toward building the 
Eastern Asylum for the Insane, the State House of 
Correction, and the establishment of the .State Board 
of Health were recommended by Governor B. in his 
messa;.;e of 1873. The new State Capitol also owes 
its origen to him. The appropriation for its erection 
was made upon his recommendation, and the contract 
for the entire work let under this administration. 
Governor B. also appointed the commissioners under 
whose faithful supervision the building was erected in 
a manner most satisfactory to the people of the State. 
He advised and earnestly urged at different times 
such amendments of the constitution as would j)er- 
mit a more equitable compensation to State officers 
and judges. The law of 1869, and prior also, permitting 
municipalities to vote aid toward the construc- 
tion of railroads was, in 1870, declared unconstitu- 
tional by the .Supreme Court. Many of the munici- 
palities having in the meantime issued and sold their 
bonds in good faith. Governor B. felt that the honor 
and credit of the State were in jeopardy. His sense 
of justice impelled him to call an extra session of the 
T-egislature to projiose the submission to the peojile a 
constitutional amendment, authorizing the payment 
of such bonds as were alre.idy in the hands of Awi?- 
//i/r holders. In his special message he says : "The 
credit of no State stands higher than that of Michigan, 
and the people can not afford, and I trust will not 
consent, to have her good name tarnished by the repu- 
diation of eitlier legal or moral obligations." A spe- 
cial session was called in March, 1872, principally for 
the division of the State into congressional districts. 
A number of other important suggestions were made, 
however, and as an evidence of the Governor's la- 
borious and thoughtful care for the financial condition 



^j\m^^ 



of the State, a series of tables was prepared and sub- ^^ 
mitted by him showing.in detail, estimatesof receipts, (^ 
expenditures and appropriations for tlie years 1872 to V 
1878, inclusive. Memorable of Governor B.'s admin- 1 
istration were the devastating fires which swept over ^ 
many [xirtions of the Northwest in the fall of 1871. 
.\ large part of the city of Chicago having been re- 
duced to ashes. Governor B. [)roniptly issued a proc- 
lamation calling upon the people of Michigan for 
liberal aid in behalf of the afflicted city. Scarcely had 
tliis been issued when several counties in his State 
were laid waste by the same destroying element. 
.\ second call was made asking assistance for the suf- 
fering people of Michigan. The contributions for 
these objects were prompt and most lilieral, more than 
$700,000 having been received in money and supplies 
for the relief of Michigan alone. So ample were 
these contributions during the short period of about 
3 months, that the (Governor issued a proclamation r 
exjjressing in behalf of the people of the State grate- 
ful acknowldgment, and announcing that further y'y 
aid was unnecessary. 

Governor B. has traveled extensively in his own 
country and has also madu several visits to Europe 
and other [wrtions of the Old World. He was a pas- 
senger on the Steamer Arill, which was captured and y^ 
lionded in the Carribean Sea, in December, 1862, by 
Capt. Semmes, and wrote a full and interesting ac- ^ 
count of the transaction. The following estimate of 
Governor B. on his retirement from office, by a leading 
newsjjaper, is not overdrawn: "The retiring message 
of Governor B,, will be read with interest. It is 
a characteristic document and possesses the lucid 
statement, strong, and clear practical sense, which 
have been marked features of all preceding documents 
from the same source. Governor B. retired to private 
life after four years of unusually successful adminis- 
tration amid plaudits that are universal throughout the 
State. For many years eminent and capable men 
have filled the executive chair of this State, but in 
painstaking vigilance, in stern good sense, in genuine 
public spirit, in thorough integrity and in practical ^ 
capacity, Henry P. Baldwin has shown himself to be 
the peer of any or all of them. The State has been un- 
usually prosperous during his two terms, and the State (y 
administration has fully kept pace with the needs of ^ 
the times. The retiring Governor has fully earned t^: 
the public gratitude and confidence which he to-day J 
[wssesses to such remarkable degree." '^ ^ 



t 




^.D y? 



JW-tf^^y 



^^^®)$€^ri* 



•rnrd-^. 



GOVB'.RNORS OF MICHIGAN. 



J 



s 



V 




J mm J, BAaiEy, 



"saii^ 








;l OHN JUDSON BAGLEY, 
'rl^Gcjvernor of Michigan from 

fi873 to 1877, was born in 
Medina, Orleans Co., N. Y., 
'l July 24,1832. His father, John 
Bagley, was a native of New 
Hampshire, his mother, Mary M. 
Bagley, of Connecticut. He at- 
tended the district school of Lock- 
jxjrt, N. Y., until he was eight years 
old, at which time his father moved 
to Constantine, Mich., and he at- 
tended the common schools of that 
village. His early experience was 
like that of many country boys whose 
parents removed from Eastern States 
to the newer portion of the West. 
His father being in very i)Oor circum- 
] stances, Mr. B. was obliged to work 
as soon as he was able to do so. 
Leaving school when 13 years of age 
he entered a country store in Constan- 
tine as clerk. His father tlien re- 
moved toOwosso, Mich., and he again 
engaged as clerk in a store. From 
early youth Mr. B. was extravagantly fond of reading 
and devoted every leisure moment to the perusal of 
such books, papers and periodicals as came within 
his reach. In 1847, he removed to Detroit, where he 
secured employment in a tobacco manufactory and 
remained in this ]X)sition for about five years. 

In 1853, he began business for himself in the man- 
ufacturing of tobacco. His establishment has become 




'^f'C'^@'^\iC 



one of the largest of the kind in the West. Mr. B. 
has also been greatly interested in other manufactur- 
ing enterprises, as well as in mining, banking and in- 
surance corporations. He was President of the 
Detroit Safe Company for several years. He was one 
of the organizers of the Michigan Mutual Life Insur- 
ance Company of Detroit, and was its President from 
1867 to 1872. He was a director of the Amer- 
ican National Bank for many years, and a stock- 
holder and director in various other corporations. 
Mr. B. was a member of the Board of Education two 
years, and of the Detroit Common Council the same 
length of time. In 1865 he was appointed by Gover- 
nor Crajjo one of the first commissioners of the 
Metropolitian police force of the city of Detroit, serv- 
ing six years. In November, 1872, he was elected 
Governor of Michigan, and two years later was re- 
elected to the same office, retiring in January, 1877. 
He was an active worker in the Republican party, and 
for many years was Chairman of the Republican 
.State Central committee. 

Governor Bagley was quite lil)eral in his religious 
views and was an attendant of the Unitarian Church. 
He aimed to be able to hear and consider any new 
tliought,from whatever source it may come, but was not 
bound by any religious creed or formula. He held 
in respect all religious opinions, believing that noone 
can be injured by a firm adherence to a faith or de- 
nomination. He was married at Dubuque, Iowa, Jan. 
16, 1855, to Frances E. Newberry, daughter of Rev. 
Samuel Newberry, a pioneer missionary' of Michigan, 
who took an active part in the early educational mat- 
ters of the State and in the establishment of its ex- 
cellent system of education. It was principally 



"J 






4,..^^. 




^^i^f^- 



iXr 



JOHJV J. BAO-LEY. 



rr 



4^^5«®V.#; 



Vj 



A 



>C§ 



V 

> 






through his exertions that the State University was 
founded. Mr. B.'s family consists of seven children. 
As Governor his administration was charac- 
terized by several imiwrtant features, chief among 
which were his efforts to improve and make popular 
the educational agencies of the Slate by increasing 
the faculty of the University for more thorough in- 
struction in technical studies, by strengthening the hold 
of the Agricultural College uiwn the public good will 
and making the general change which has manifested 
itself in many scattered primary districts. Among 
others were an almost complete revolution in the 
management of the penal and charitable institutions 
of the State; the passage of the liquor-tax law, taking 
the place of the dead letter of prohibition; the estab- 
lishing of the system of dealing with juvenile offend- 
ers through county agents, which has proved of great 
good in turning the young back from crime and plac- 
ing the State in the attitude of a moral agent ; in se- 
curing for the militia the first time in the history of 
Michigan a systematized organization upon a service- 
able footing. It was \.\\x)n the suggestion of Gov. B. 
in the earlier part of his administration that the law 
creating the State Board of Health, and also the law 
creating a fish commission in the inland waters of the 
Slate, were passed, both of which have proved of great 
benefit to the Slate. The successful representation 
of Michigan at the Centennial Exhibition is also an 
honorable part of the record of Gov. B.'s adminis- 
tration. 

As Governor, he felt that he rejiresented the State 
— not in a narrow, egotistical way, but in the same 
sense that a faithful, trusted, confidential agent rep- 
resents his employer, and as the Executive of the 
State he was her " attorney in fact." And his intelli- 
gent, thoughtful care will long continue the pride of 
the people he so much loved. He was ambitious — 
ambitious for place and jxiwer, as every noble mind 
is ambitious, because these give opiwrtunity. How- 
ever strong the mind and powerful the will, if there 
be no ambition, life is a failure. He was not blind to 
the fact that the more we have the more is recjuired 
of us. He accepted it in its fullest meaning. He 
had great hopes for his Stale and his country. He had 
his ideas of what they should be. With a heart as 
broad as humanity itself; with an intelligent, able and 
cultured brain, the will and the jxjwer to do, he 
asked his fellow citizen to give him the opportunity to 
labor for them. Self entered not into the calculation. 



His whole life was a battle for others; and he entered 
the conflict eagerly an<i hopefully. 

His State papers were models of compact, busi- 
ness-like statements, bold, original, and brimful of 
practical suggestions, and his administrations will long 
be considered as among the ablest in this or any 
other State. 

His noble, generous nature made his innumerable 
benefactions a source of continuous pleasure. Liter- 
ally, to him it was " more blessed to give than to 
receive." 

His greatest enjoyment was in witnessing the com- 
fort and happiness of others. Not a lithe of his char- 
ities were known to his most intimate friends, or even 
to his family. Many a needy one has been the recipi- 
ent of aid at an opixjrtune moment, who never knew 
the hand that gave. 

At one time a friend had witnessed his ready re- 
sponse to some charitable request, and said to him : 
"Governor, you give away a large sum of money ; about 
how much does your charities amount to in a year.'" 
He turned at once and said: " I do not know, sir; I • 
do not allow myself to know. I hope 1 gave more 
this year than I did last, and hope I shall give more 
next year than 1 have this." This expressed his idea 
of charity, that the giving should at all times be free 
and spontaneous. 

During his leasure hours from early life, and espe- 
cially during the last few years, he devoted much time 
to becoming acquainted with the best authors. Biog- 
rajihy was his delight; the last he read was the "Life 
and Woik of John .Adams," in ten volumes. 

In all questions of business or public affairs he 
>eemed to have the iwwer of getting at the kernel of 
the nut in the least possible time. In reading he 
would spend scarcely more time with a volume than 
most persons would devote to a chapter. .After what 
seemed a cursory glance, he would have all of value 
the took contained. Rarely do we see a business 
man so familiar with the best English authors. He 
was a generous and intelligent patron of the arts, and 
liis elegant home w.is a study and a pleasure 
to his many friends, who always found there a 
hearty welcome. At Christmas time he would sfiend 
davs doing the work of Santa Claus. Every Christma-- 
eve he gathered his children about him and, taking 
the youngest on his lap, told some Christmas story, 
closing the entertainment with "The Night Before 
Christmas," or Dickens's "Christmas Carol." 



\£ 



¥ 






c< 



4 



fF 



ft 
f 






-^m^ ©V<^I 



^>r 



'Z^'^xsi"^' 



(h 





i 



^ 



GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 



i6i 



b^ 






CHARLES M. 




t'^^^^^^J HARLES ^[. CROSWELL, 
^1. Governor of Michigan from 
Jan. 3, 1877 to Jan. i, 1881, 
was borti at Newburg, Orange 
County, N. Y., Oct. 2,1, 1825. 
He is the only son of John and 
Sallie (Hicks) Croswell. His 
father, who was of Scotch-Irish 
extraction, was a paper-maker, 
and carried on business in New 
York City. His ancestors on 
his mother's side were of Knicker- 
bocker descent. The Croswell 
family may be found connected 
with prominent events, in New York 
and Connecticut, in the early exis- 
tence of the Republic. Harry Cros- 
well, during the administration of 
Jl] President Jefferson, published a pa- 
per called the Balance, and was 
prosecuted for libeling the President 
under the obnoxious Sedition I,aw. 
w He was defended by the celebrated 
Alexander Hamilton, and the decis- 
ion of the case establised the important ruling that 
the truth might be shown in cases of libel. Another 
member of tlie family was Edwin Croswell, the fam- 
ous editor of the Albany Argus; also. Rev. William 
(."roswell, noted as a divine and poet. 

When Charles M. Croswell was seven years of age, 
, liis father was accidentally drowned in the Hudson 
River, at Newburg ; and, within three months i)reced- 
' ing that event, his mother and only sister had died, — 
j thus leaving him the sole surviving member of the 
y family, without fortune or means. Upon the death 



CROSWELL. ^» 






ST' 



v^ 



of his father he went to live with an uncle, who, in 
1837, emigrated with him to Adrain, Michigan. At 
sixteen years of age, he commenced to learn the car- 
penter's trade, and worked at it very diligently for 
four years, maintaining himself, and devoting his spare 
lime to reading and the actiuirement of knowledge. 
In 1846, he began the study of law, and was ap- 
pointed Deputy Clerk of Lenawee County. The du 
ties of this office he performed four years, when he 
was elected Register of Deeds, and was re-elected 
in 1852. In 1854, hetook part in the first movements 
for the formation of the Republican party, and was a 
member and Secretary of the convetion held at Jack- 
son in that year, which put in the field the first Re- 
publican State ticket in Michigan. In 1855, he 
formed a law partnershii) with the present Chief-Jus- 
tice Cooley, which continued until the removal of 
Judge Cooley to Ann Arbor. 

In 1862, Mr. Croswell was appointed City Attorney 
of Adrian. He was also elected Mayor of the city 
in the spring of the same year; and in the fall was 
ciiosen to represent Lenawee County in the State 
Senate. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1864, 
and again in 1866, during each term filling the posi- 
tions above mentioned, .■\niong various rejwrts made 
by him, one adverse to the re-establishment of the 
death penalty, and another against a proj)osition to 
pay the salaries of State officers and judges in coin, 
which then commanded a very large premium, may 
be mentioned. He also drafted the act ratifying the 
Thirteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution, 
for the abolishment of slavery, it being the first 
amendment to the instrument ratified by Michigan. 
In I S63, from his seat in the State Senate, he de- 
livered an elaborate speech in favor of the Proclama- 









<^ 



m 





$«^<#«- 



<>n n :^ n Viy>^ — ^^^^^r 



CHARLES M. CRO SWELL. 



-4^^(®V|@) 



(^ 



r^> 



<7S 

•v. 



:^J 



V 



? 



tion of Emancipation issued by President Lincoln, 
and of his general policy in the prosecution of the 
war. This, at the request of his Republican associ- 
ates, was afterwards pul>lished. In 1867, he was 
elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, 
and chosen its presiding officer. Tliis convention 
was composed of an able body of men ; and though, 
in the general distrust of constitutional changes 
which for some years had been taking possession of 
the people, their labors were not accepted by the pop- 
ular vote, it was always conceded that the constitu- 
tion they proposed had been prepared with great care 
and skill. 

In 1868, Mr. Croswell was cliosen an Elector on 
the Republican Presidential ticket; in 1872, was 
elected a Representative to the State Legislature 
from Lenawee County, and was chosen Speaker of 
"the House of Representatives. At the close of the 
session of that body his abilities as a parliamentarian, 
and tlie fairness of his rulings were freely and form- 
ally acknowledged by his associates ; and he was pre- 
sented with a superb collection of their portraits 
handsomely framed. He was, also, for several years. 
Secretary of the State Board for the general supervis- 
ion of the charitable and penal institutions of Michi- 
gan; in which position, his propositions for the amel- 
ioration of the condition of the unfortunate, and the 
reformation of the criminal classes, signalize tlie be- 
nevolence of his nature, and the practical cliaracter 
of his mind. 

In 1876, the general voice of the Republicans of 
the State indicted Mr. Croswell as their choice for 
Governor; and, at the State Convention of the party 
in .August of the same year, he was put in nomination 
by acclamation, without the formality of a ballot. At 
the election in November following, he was chosen to 
the high position for which he had been nominated, 
by a very large majority over all opposing candidates. 
His inaugural message was received with general 
favor; and his career as Governor was marked with 
the same qualities of head and heart that have ever 
distinguished him, both as a citizen and statesman. 



Governor Groswell has always prepared his ad- 
dresses with care ; and, as his diction is terse, clear, 
and strong, without excess of ornament, and his de- 
liver}' impressive, he is a popular speaker; and many 
of his speeches have attracted favorable comment in 
the public prints, and have a permanent value. He 
has always manifested a deep interest in educational 
matters, and was for years a member and Secretarj' of 
the Board of Education of Adrain. At the formal 
opening of the Central School building in that city, 
on the 24th day of April, 1869, he gave, in a public 
address, an " Historical Sketch of the Adrian Public 
Schools."' 

In his private life, Governor Croswell has been as 
exemplar)- as in his public career he has been suc- 
cessful and useful. In Februarv, 1852, he was mar- 
ried to a daughter of Morton Eddy, Lucy M. Eddy, ( ' 
a lady of many amiable and sunny qualities. She ^ 
suddenly died, March 19, 1868, leaving two daugh- 
ters and a son. Governor Croswell is not a member 
of any religious body, but generally attends the Pres- 
byterian Church. He pursues the profession of law, 
but of late has been occupied mainly in the care of his 
own interests, and the quiet duties of advice in ( 
business difficulties, for which his unfailing pru- 
dence and sound judgment eminently fit him. Gov- 
ernor Croswell is truly popular, not only with those of 
like political faith with himself, but with those who 
differ from him in this regard. y 

During Gov. Croswell's administration the public ^^ 
debt was greatly reduced ; a policy adopted requiring f 
the State institutions to keep within the limit of ap- 
propriations; laws enacted to provide more effectually 
for the punishment of corruption and bribrery in elec- 
tions; the State House of Correction at Ionia and the 
Eastern Asylum forthe Insane at Pontiac were opened, ^ ^ 
and the new capital at Lansing was com])leted and [ 
occupied. The first act of his second term was to pre- t<:. 
side at the dedication of this building The great riot m 
at Jackson occured during his administration, and it n& 
was only bv his promptness that great distruction of @\ 
both life and properly ' .- ; u vented at tha". time. ^ 

|;'5A^^ ^^mr- -f^^^Jf@>Nf^^l 



A 



V 



GOVERNORS OF MICHIGAN. 







:-^; 



V 



^ 



Sfe.- V^ 




DAVID H. JEROME, Gover- 
'kiior of from Jan. i, 1881, to 
I in. I, 1S83, w.Ts born at De- 
troit, Mich., Nov. 17, 1829. 
' His parents emigrated to 
Michigan from Trumansburg, 
Tompkins Co., N. Y., in 1828, 
locatmg at Detroit. His father 
died March 30, 1831, leaving 
nine children. He had been 
twice married, and four of the 
children living at the time of his 
death were grown up sons, the off- 
spring of his first union. Of the 
five children by his second marriage, David H. was 
the youngest. Shortly after Mr. Jerome's death, his 
widow riioved back to New York and settled in 
Onondaga County near Syracuse, where they remained 
until the fall of 1834, the four sons by the first wife 
continuing their residence in Michigan. In the fall 
of 1834, Mrs. Jerome came once more to Michigan, 
locating on a farm in St. Clair County. Here the 
Oovernor formed those habits of industry and ster- 
ling integrity that have been so characteristic of the 
man in the active duties of life. He was sent to the 
district school, and in the acquisition of the funda- 
mental branches of learning he displayed a precocity 
and an application which won for him the admiration 
of his teachers, and always placed him at the head 
of his classes. In the meantime he did chores on 
the farm, and was always ready with a cheerful heart 
and willing hand to assist his widowed mother. The 
heavy labor of the farm was carried on by his two 




older brothers, Timothy and George, and when 13 
years of age David received his mother's permission to 
attend school at the St. Clair Academy. While attend- 
ing there he lived with Marcus H. Miles, now de- 
ceased, doing chores for his board, and the following 
winter performed the same service for James Ogden, 
also deceased. The next summer Mrs. Jerome 
moved into the village of St. Clair, for the purpose of 
continuing her son in school. While attending said 
academy one of his associate students was Sena- 
tor Thomas W. Palmer, of Detroit, a rival candidate 
before the gubernatorial convention in 1880. He 
completed his education in tiie fall of his i6th year, 
and the following winter assisted liis brother Timothy 
in hauling logs in the pine woods. The next summer 
he rafted logs down the St. Clair River to Algonac. 

In 1847, M. H. Miles beingClerkin St. Clair Coun- 
ty, and Volney A. Ripley Register of Deeds, David 
H. Jerome was appointed Deputy to each, remaining 
as such during i848-'49, and receiving much praise 
from his employers and the people in general for the 
ability displayed in the discharge of his duties. He 
spent his summer vacation at ileriial work on board 
the lake vessels. 

In 1849- '50, he abandoned office work, and for the 
proper development of his physical system spent 
several months liauling logs. In the spring of 1850, 
his brother "Tiff" and himself chartered the steamer 
"Chautauqua," and "Yoiuig Dave" became her mas- 
ter. A {xjrtion of the season the boat was engaged 
in the passenger and freight traffic between Port 
Huron and Detroit, but during the latter part was 
used as a tow boat. At tliat time tliere was a serious 
obstruction to navigation, known as the "St. Clair 
Flats," between Lakes Huron and Erie, over which 



I 

i 

•f^• 



11 



$«^#»- 



^^^ — ^-A<-^ii n ;<^iin^>^-^^ — ^^^^^ 



^fr-^^ft 




^€^^ 



£>A VI D H. JEROME. 



r^ V>-.VAy.- 



I 



vessels could cany only about 10,000 bushels of grain. 
Mr. Jerome conceived the idea of towing vessels 
from one lake to the other, and put his plan into 
operation. Through the influence of practical men, — 
among them the subject of this sketch, — Congress 
removed the obstruction above referred to, and now 
vessels can pass them laden with 60,000 or 80,000 
bushels of grain. 

During the season, the two brothers succeeded 
in making a neat little sum of money by the sum- 
mer's work, but subsequently lost it all on a contract 
to raise the "Gen. Scott," a vessel that had sunk in 
Lake St. Clair. David H. came out free from debt, 
but possessed of hardly a dollar of capital. In the 
spring of 185 i, he was clerk and acting master of the 
steamers "Frankhn Moore" and "Ruby," plying be- 
tween Detroit and Port Huron and Goderich. The 
following year he was clerk of the propeller "Prince- 
ton," running between Detroit and Buffalo. 

In January, 1853, Mr. Jerome went to California, 
by way of the Isthmus, and enjoyed e.xtraordinary 
success in selling goods in a new place of his selec- 
tion, among the mountains near Marysville He re- 
mained there during the summer, and located the 
Live Yankee Tunnel Mine, which has since yielded 
millions to its owners, and is still a paying investment. 
He planned and put a tunnel 600 feet into the mine, 
but when the water supply began to fail with the dry 
season, sold out his interest. He left in the fall of 
1853, and in December sailed from San Francisco for 
New York, arriving at his home in St. Clair County, 
about a year after his departure. During his absence 
his brother "Tiff" had located at Saginaw, ana in 
1854 Mr. Jerome joined him in his lumber operations 
in the valley. In 1855 the brothers bought Black- 
mer & Eaton's hardware and general supply stores, 
at Saginaw, and David H. assumed the management 
of the business. From 1855 to 1873 he was also ex- 
tensively engaged in lumbering operations. 

Soon after locating at Saginaw he was nominated 
for Alderman against Stewart B. Williams, a rising 
young man, of strong Democratic principles. The 
ward was largely Democratic, but Mr. Jerome was 
elected bv a handsome majority. When the Repub- 
lican party was born at Jackson, Mich., David H. 
Jerome was, though not a delegate to the convention, 
one of its "charter members.' In 1862, he was com- 
missioned by Gov. Austin Blair to raise one of the 



six regiments apportioned to the State of Michigan. 
Mr. Jerome immediately went to work and held 
meetings al various points. The zeal and enthusiasm 
displayed by this advocate of the Union awakened a 
feeling of patriotic interest in the breasts of many 
brave men, and in a short space of time the 23d 
Regiment of Michigan Volunteer Infantry was placed 
in the field, and subsequently gained for itself a bril- 
liant record. 

In the fall of 1862, Mr. Jerome was nominated by 
the Republican party for State Senator from the 26th 
district, Appleton Stevens, of Bay City, being his op- 
ponent. The contest was very exciting, and resulted 
in the triumphant election of Mr. Jerome. He was 
twice renominated and elected both times by in- 
creased majorities, defeating George Lord, of Bay 
City, and Dr. Cheseman, of Gratiot County. On tak- 
ing his seat in the Senate, he was appointed Chair- 
man of the Committee on State Affairs, and was ac- 
tive in raising means and troops to carry on the war. 
He held the same position during his three terms of 
service, and introduced the bill creating the Soldiers' 
Home at Harper Hospital, Detroit. 

He was selected by Gov. Crapo as a military aid, 
and in 1865 was appointed a member of the State 
Military Board, and served as its President for eight 
consecutive years. In 1873, he was ap]X)inced by 
Gov. Bagley a member of the convention to prepare 
a new State Constitution, and was Chairman of the 
Committee on Finance. 

In 1875, Mr. Jerome was ap]X)inted a member of 
the Board of Indian Commissioners. In I876 he was 
Chairman of a commission to visit Chief Joseph, the 
Nez Perce Indian, to arrange an amicable settlement 
of all existing difficulties. The commission went to 
Portland, Oregon, thence to the Blue Hills, in Idaho, 
a distance of 600 nriles up the Columbia River. 

At the Republican State Convention, convened at 
Jackson in August, 1880, Mr. Jerome was placed in 
the field for nomination, and on the 5 th day of the 
month received the highest honor the convention 
could confer on any one. His opjwnent was Freder- 
ick M. HoUoway, of Hillsdale ("oimty, who was sup- 
ported by the Democratic and Greenback parties. 
The State was thoroughly canvassed by both parties, 
and when the polls were closed on the evening of 
election day, it was found that David H. Jerome had 
been selected by the voters of the Wolverine State to 
occupy the highest position within their gift. 



V^^ 



§ 



A 






W^^ 



-^^m % niif^A^ — ^^§s^ 



7 



i-\> 






Ml; 




,>^r!st^ •'Ttr- 






J 



^^m^ 



GOVERXORS OF MICHIGAN 




JOSIAH W. BEG0LEV 



169 ^ 








■\^ 



^ 




/ 



OSIAH \V. BE(i()LK, the 
resent {1883), Ciovernoi of 
Michigan was born in Living- 
ston, County, N. Y., Jan. 20, 
' 1815. His ancestors were of 
French descent, and settled at 
an early period in tlie State of 
Maiyland. Hisgrandfather,Capt. 
Bolles, of that State, was an offi- 
cer in the American army during 
the waroftiie Revolution. .\l)0ut 
le beginning of the present cent- 
ury both his grand|)arents, having 
)ecome dissatisfied with the insli- 
?^ tution of slavery, although slave- 
holders themselves, emigrated to 
.ivnigston County, N. Y., then 
a new countr\', taking with them a 
number of their former slaves, who 
volunteered to accompany them. 
His father was an officer in the 
.\nierican army, and served during 
the war of iSi 2. 
Mr. B. received his early education in a log school- 
house, and subsequently attended the Temple Hill 
.Academy, at Geneseo, N. Y. Being the eldest of a 
family of ten children, whose parents were in moder- 
ate though comfortable circumstances, he was early 
taught hal)its of industry, and when 21 years of age, 
being ambitious to better his condition in life, he re- 
solved to seek his fortune in the far West, as it was 



then called. In .August, 1S36, he left the parental 
roof to seek a home in tiie Territory of Michigan 
then an almost unbroken wilderness. He settled in 
(lenesee County, and aided with his own hands in 
building some of the early residences in what is now 
known as the city of Flint. There were but four or 
five houses where this flourishing city now stands 
when he selected it as his home. 

In the spring of 1S39 he married Miss Harriet .\. 
Miles. The marriage proved a most fortunate one, 
and to the faithful wife of his youth, who lives to en- 
joy with him the comforts of an honestly earned com- 
jjctence, Mr. Begole ascribes largely his success in 
life. Immediately after his marriage he commenced 
woik on an unimproved farm, where, by his perse- 
verance and energy, he soon established a good home, 
and at the end of eighteen years was the owner of a 
well improved farm of five hundred acres. 

Mr. Begole being an anti-slavery man, became a 
member of the Republican party at its organization. 
He served his to.vnsmen in various offices, and was 
in 1856, elected County Treasurer, which office he 
held for eight years. 

.\t the lireaking out of the Rebellion he did not 
carry a musket to the front, but his many friends will 
bear witness that he took an active part in recruiting 
and furnishing suiiplies for the army, and in looking 
after the interests of soldiers' families at home. The 
deathof his eldest son near .Atlanta, Ga., by aConfed- 
rate bullet, in 1864, was the greatest sorrow of his life. 
When a few years Liter he was a member in Congress 



i 






|)-\®>)?^#« ^^j^^¥^ ^^^^MM^'i>^^ ^^^'^^ 4^^f®>(|[^ 



>iS^S^iKr 



V<^I 



h>r 



rJ^^ 



^ 



■^ 



o» 



y^ 



o 



170 



JOSIAH W. BEGOLE. 



Gov. Begole voted and worked for the soldiers' 
bounty equalization bill, an act doing justice to the 
soldier who bore the burden and heat of the day, and 
who should fare equally with him who came in at the 
eleventh hour. That bill was defeated in the House 
on account of the large appropriation that would be 
required to pay the same. 

In 1870, Gov. Regole was nominated by acclama- 
tion for the office of State Senator, and elected by a 
large majority. In that i)ody he served on the Com- 
mittees of Finance and Railroads, and was Chairman 
of the Committee on the Institute for the Deaf and 
Dumb and Blind. He took a liberal and public- 
spirited view of the importance of a new capitol 
building worthy of the State, and was an active mem- 
ber of the Committee that drafted the bill for the 
same He was a delegate to the National Republi- 
can Convention held at Philadelphia in 1872, and 
_ was the chosen member of that delegation to go to 
\ Washington and inform Gen. Grant and Senator 
** Wilson of their nominations. It was while at that 
convention that, by the express wish of his many 
friends, he was induced to offer himself a can- 
didate for the nomination of member to the 43d Con- 
gress, in which he was successful, after competing for 
the nomination with several of the most worthy, able 
and experienced men in the Sixth Congressional Dis- 
trict, and was elected by a very large majority. In 
Congress, he was a member of the Committee on 
Agricultural and Public Expenditures. Being one of 
the 17 farmers in that Congress, he took an active 
part in the Committee of Agriculture, and was ap- 
ix)inted by that committee to draft the most impor- 
tant report made by that committee, and uix)n the 
only subject recommended by the President in his 
message, which he did and the report was printed in 
records of Congress ; he took an efficient though an 
unobtrusive part in all its j)roceedings. 

He voted for the currency bill, remonetization of 
silver, and other financial measures, many of which, 
though defeated then, have since become the settled 
(^ policy of the country. Owing to the position which 
Mr. Begole occupied on these questions, he became a 
"Greenbacker." 

In the Gubernatorial election of 1882, Mr. Begole 
was the candidate of both the Greenback and Dem- 
ocratic parties, and was elected by a vote of 154,269, 
the Republican candidate, Hon. David H. Jerome, 





receiving 149,697 votes. Mr. Begole, in entering 
upon his duties as Governor, has manifested a spirit 
that has already won him many friends, and bids fair 
to make his administration both successful and pop- 
ular. 

The very best indications of what a man is, is what 
his own townsmen think of him. We give the fol- 
lowing extract from the Flint Globe, the leading Re- 
publican paper m Gov. Begole's own county, and it, 
too, written during the heat of a political campaign, 
which certainly is a flattering testimonial of his ster- 
ling worth : 

"So far, however, as Mr. Begole, the head of the 
ticket, is concerned, there is nothing detrimental to 
his character that can be alleged against him. He 
has sometimes changed his mind in politics, but for 
sincerity of his beliefs and the earnestness of his pur- 
pose nobody who knows him entertains a doubt. He 
is incapable of bearing malice, even against his bit- 
terest political enemies. He has a warm, generous 
nature, and a larger, kinder heart does not beat in 
the bosom of any man in Michigan. He is not much 
given to making speeches, but deeds are more signif- 
icant of a man's character than words There are 
many scores of men in all parts of the State where 
Mr. Begole is acquainted, who have had practical 
demonstrations of these facts, and who are liable to 
step outside of party lines to show that they do not 
forget his kindness, and who, no doubt, wish that he 
was a leader in what would not necessarily prove a 
forlorn hope. But the Republican party in Michigan 
is too strong to be beaten by a combination of Demo- 
crats and Greenbackers, even if it is marshaled by so 
good a man as Mr. Begole." 

This sketch would be imiierfect without referring 
to the action of Mr. B. at the time of the great calamity 
that in 1881 overtook the people of Northeastern 
Michigan, in a few hours desolating whole counties 
by fire and destroying the results and accumulations 
of such hard work as only falls to the lot of pioneers. 
While the Port Huron and Detroit committees were 
quarrehng over the distribution of funds, Mr. Begole 
wrote to an agent in the "]bumt district " a letter, from 
which we make an extract of but a single sentence: 
"Until the differences between the two committees 
are adjusted and you receive your regular supplies 
from them, draw on me. Let no man suffer while I 
have money." This displays his true character. 



I 



() 



^ 



c< 






Ht>A 



>-^^"^srv^ 



'^^Nf@>:(^)* 



;i^)W^®))^t|« 



■:23€^^^ ^V^:I]II^P^^>T 



4^^e(®V(|i=; 



<h 



/N 



>J 






I 
V 









t^-N>5- »3^ 









Uf 



®1 



ai^-iui/EIDMB 




^^^^^^^^^ 



■'=^-^<^D!i:^Dtli>^ ^^j^^fg^ 



\^ 






(V 



^!^M 



-:^^^^ c?^?lllj>:llll^>r- 



-^zJ^siiiAsr 















>:> 



(1) 











c^: 



't/ 



(^ 



t 

i|^->^#— 



■^^^^^^nnr^^nni^ 



.-^Au:i- 



^?T^ 




V 






r^^icliiit.y'^^^^^ 




^r->. 



<' -mO c II, /jt 7 / 



^^/®))«^^ 



-^^^ — T^-T<-:ni]^oor>r6 — --^^^ 4J^f^V^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



1^ 




tr-^ 



.>^ 






4-3- 



JU h. 





.OKNELIUS BENNETT, 
Judge of Probate of Isa- 
bella County, resident at 
Mt. Pleasant, was born Aug. 
15, 1839, in the township 
of Deerfield, Livingston Co , 
'•■\^ - ''■•' Mich. His parents, Michael 

i-:® » . and Bridget (Flynn) Bennett, were na- 
•^v=^ *.y'_)" tives of the County of Kings, Ireland, 
«^^|.iQ-» where they grew to mature years and 
^jm.^j.-.~h-> iiiarried. Shortly after that event, in 
1827, they came to the United States 
and settled in Pennsylvania, where the 
father engaged in farming. The family 
remained in the Keystone State four 
years and came thence in 1837 to Michigan, where 
they settled on a homestead claim of 80 acres in 
Northfield Township, Washtenaw County. 

At that time the townships of that county north 
of range 84 east were connected with Ann Arbor for 
municipal purposes. The first settler had made a 
permanent location in 1824, and during the eight 
years ensuing the population grew until the number 
was sufficiently large to warrant an independent local 
organization. The movement to effect this was in- 
itiated in the fall of 1832. The enabling act was 
passed during the Legislative session of the winter 
following, and the first town meeting was held in 
April, 1833, two years after Michael Bennett began 




the work of a pioneer land-holder in the township. 

His name is associated with the first religious en- 
terprise in Northfield, and the first Church therein 
and its organization were due to his efforts, associated 
with several other settlers in the township, of similar 
religious connections. The record published in the 
"History of Washtenaw County" in 1881 states 
that, "in 1831-32 a few enterprising men who had 
left their homes in the ' Green Isle' settled in the 
town. Father Kelley came the same year and, with 
the assistance of his few Church people and Isaac 
Dickee, erected a log church on section 29. They 
were John Keenan, William Prindle, William Stubs, 
John McKernan, Philip McKernan, John Sullivan, 
Michael Portal, John Mclntyre, Michael Bennett, 
Peter Smith, Michael Neligan, Patrick Walsh, Mi- 
chael Walsh, Patrick Donavin and Bryan Galligan." 
In 1837 the primitive structure gave place to a com- 
modious frame building, which was for ten years the 
only church edifice in the township. 

Mr. Bennett, senior, sold his property and removed 
to Livingston ("ounty in 1837. He bought a half 
section in the township of Deerfield, where he and 
his wife passed the remainder of their lives. The 
mother died Sept 27, 1873 ; the demise of the father 
took place in 1876. Their family included six chil- 
dren, — throe sons and three daughters. Two of the 
latter, Bridget and Catherine, are deceased. Mary 
is the wife of John Downey, a farmer on section 35, 



9 



(^ 




V^N/^®)$f^#«- 



TZi^^^ 



•7<>llD^Dny>r- 



TT- 



rsi^^isr 



4^^f 



^ 






rra 



^ 



I 

s 

1^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Isabella Township. James and Frank are farmers in 
Deerfield, Livingston County. 

Mr. Bennett, of this sketch, secured a good com- 
mon-school education in his native place and alter- 
nated his periods of study with assisting on his fath- 
er's farm. In 1856 he commenced attending school 
at Ann Arbor, where he pursued his studies one and 
a half years, after which he spent one winter in 
teaching. In the spring of 1858 he responded to an 
inward impulse, of which he had been a long time 
conscious, to see more of the world than that circum- 
scribed by the boundaries of the Peninsular State with 
which he had grown familiar, and he proceeded to 
Leavenworth, Kansas, then on the western frontier 
and the center of interest from the recent contests be- 
tween the border-ruffians and the Free-Soil element. 
That section of the United States was still, in a sense, 
debatable ground, and a sufficient intensity of the 
spirit that ruled the year 1855 was yet in existence 
to engage the interest of young men of ambitious 
minds, to whom the daring and mystery seemed full 
of glory. It is probable that to the period of this 
country's history just preceding the civil war, the 
successful men of the present generation owe more 
than to any other. The shadows of coming events 
hung over the times, heavy with portent, and within 
the next decade the tree of American independence 
and enterprise burst into bloom. It was simply a 
verification of the sententious truism, that circum- 
stances make men, and also the concomitant fact that 
men make history. 

The agents of the United States were stationed at 
the frontier posts to protect the interests of the Gov- 
ernment there and in the unsettled territory beyond, 
and young Bennett joined a construction train, or- 
ganized under the authority of Captain Russell and 
Major Waddeil, Government agents, which was to 
proceed to (then) Sonora Territory to build forts in 
advance of emigration, for the United States soldiers 
necessary for the protection of Immigrant settlers 
from the Indians. The train started Sept. 4, 1858, 
and consisted of 54 wagons, each drawn by six yokes 
of oxen, and accompanied by a force of about 70 
men. The wagons contained army supplies, besides 
immense quantities of axes, nails, saws and tools 
for use in the projected fort-building. It also in- 
cluded a herd of 280 oxen, technically called a " co- 
vey yard," for relief. The contract guaranteed 




monthly to every man for three years, and the orders 
were to operate until the supplies (which included 
the oxen) were exhausted. 

On arriving at Fort Bridger, within 100 miles of 
Salt Lake City, it was ascertained that the Mormons 
had taken into their own hands the reins of the 
local government of the Territory over which they 
were to pass, had forbidden any approach to Salt 
Lake City, and destroyed the forage of Carson Val- 
ley, upon which the maintenance of the teams de- 
pended. The quartermaster took charge of the 
immense herd of upwards of a thousand oxen, and 
the expedition came practically to an end. 

Mr. Bennett, with 17 others, turned their faces 
homeward. He arrived at Leavenworth in Decem- 
ber, 1858, and in March, 1859, he again set out 
for Denver, Col., in charge of the first general sup- 
ply train that entered that place. It consisted of 28 
wagons, each drawn by eight oxen, and bearing army 
supplies, also shovels, axes, picks, and sheet-iron for 
mining purposes. The site of the now prosperous 
city was reached in May, 1859. The route was 
made under the difficulties peculiar to the state of 
civilization, or ratlier want of it, of that period, and 
the perplexities of the situation, coupled with its re- 
sponsibilities as chief of the expedition, quite satisfied 
Mr. Bennett of the real value of a life of adventure 
in an unsettled territory, subject to the incidents of 
frontier life under the influences of the incongruous 
type of humanity which has made that time a 
marked era in American history. Jealousies arose, mu- 
tinies were instigated, and he found that the necessity 
for prompt and decided action, which was constantly 
arising, had little in it of glory or satisfaction. Thr 
actual dignity and character of affairs are aptly rer 
resented by the fact that, on one occasion, when the 
culmination of a conspiracy came to his knowledge, 
he rushed upon the scene and terminated proceed- 
ings, quelling the leader by the vigorous application 
of a red-hot frying-pan square in the face. It was 
rather an inglorious conquest, but the victory that 
perched uixin his banners was no less effectual, and 
its retrospective comfort no less complete, than though 
it had been achieved through the instrumentality of 
the knife or the revolver, then the predominaring 
authority in the settlement of the question as to who 
should be greatest. 

Mr, Bennett spent about a year in Colorado, inter- 



'^ 



A 






r 








(g;>)^'^^ 



■xsr 



IS A BELL A COUNTY. 



■>iSNSxi'- 



4^^c(fvii 



183 



(h 






C-^' 



V 



ested in mining, which he pursued at three different 
points within 40 miles of Denver, his headquarters. 
His experiences there were after the order of those 
immortalized by the graphic pens of Bret Harte and 
John Hay. Mining claims, legitimate or otherwise, 
engendered contests, and Mr. Bennett and his part- 
ner, in one instance, became involved in a controversy 
which they attempted to adjust under the local regu- 
lations known as miners' trials. From incidents of 
much less romantic hue, gifted pens have woven 
webs of dramatic interest that have sent their author's 
■F.mes dovvn to the generations to come with death- 
less fame. 

riie confrere of Mr. Bennett was a man in whom 
the exigencies of frontier life had developed the 
principles of self-defense, and he held himself in 
readiness to adjust his affairs according to his own 
ideas of right and justice, and in keeping with the 
methods adopted by the element with which circum- 
stances compelled him to deal. In the case referred 
to, a difference of understanding had arisen, and the 
species of administration of justice had been ap- 
pealed to which was then the only approach to the 
methods of arbitration that were practiced within 
the borders of civilization. Mr. Bennett, his asso- 
ciate and the contestant, sat on a log, in preliminary 
council, surrounded by a crowd of miners, who con- 
stituted the court. The third party in the case lost 
self-control and indulged in a few sentences of disa- 
greeable signification, which were so pointed as to 
demand immediate attention. In an instant a gleam 
of light from the polished barrel of a revolver flashed 
athwart the vision of the assemblage. Mr. Bennett 
arrested the arm that controlled the weapon and dis- 
possessed its holder. A storm of hot words ensued. 

As night came on, it was argued that the " shoot- 
ist"and the other individual most intimately con- 
cerned should retire beyond the encampment and 
talk over affairs. The plan was put into execution, 
but the pair had hardly passed beyond the light of 
the camp-fires when the report of a pistol awoke the 
echoes of the night. A scene of wild excitement fol- 
lowed. The would-be murderer had been attacked 
with an opportune " fit," in which his revolver shared 
to such an extent as to inflict a serious wound upon 
his companion. He lay on the ground, writhing in 
the contortions of epilcpsy(.'), his throat swollen and 
throbbing, and sheets of foam issuing from his livid 



lips. As the crowd surrounded his victim, he brought 
the fit to a termination and fled to his cabin, whither 
Mr. Bennett followed him. 

Instant flight was determined upon, and Mr. Ben- 
nett returned to learn the next act in the play, as the 
first in no sense outlined what was to follow. He 
found a crowd of men, anxious to furnish substantial 
proof of their estimate of procedures, who had de- 
cided that a murderer, either in fact or intent, needed 
be hung. When it was ascertained that he was be- 
yond their reach, their hunger for some retributive 
act had reached a climax and a victim must be forth- 
coming. The individual who had precipitated mat- 
ters not being at hand, it was decided to hang Mr. 
Bennett. The suddenness of the emergency brought 
his predominating trait of character to the front. In 
imperturbable coolness he stood among the undis- 
ciplined, clamorous rabble, and by his fearless bear- 
ing and deliberately chosen arguments, couched in 
unimpassioned language, he quelled their turbulence 
and disarmed their malicious intent. 

On leaving Denver, Mr. Bennett returned to Liv- 
ingston County, where he attended school, pursuing 
his studies two years at the seminary at Howell. He 
passed the summers of 1863-4 in the law office of S. 
F. Hubbell, of Howell, where he read for the profes- 
sion under that gentleman's instructions. He then 
consummated the required period of study in the 
Law Department of the University of Michigan, at 
Ann Arbor, where he was graduated with the degree 
of B. LL., March 25, 1865. In May, of the same 
year, he came to Mt. Pleasant, believing that this 
section afforded a field for the exercise of his profes- 
sional qualifications and an opening to a successful 
business career. He opened an office immediately 
upon his arrival, as an attorney. 

In November, 1869, his connection with the official 
affairs of Isabella County began. The death of 
James P. Welper, County Clerk and Register of Deeds, 
created a vacancy, to which Mr. Bennett succeeded 
by appointment. The two positions were held by 
one incumbent until 1872, when they became distinct. 
Mr. Bennett discharged the duties of County Clerk 
three years, being elected to the office in 1870. He 
officiated as Register of Deeds five years, receiving 
one election and one re-election, and serving one 
year as apix)intee. He held the office of Justice of 
the Peace from 1866 to 1882, and was also elected 



ft. 



V- 






< 






t 



3 



(^ 






1 



% 





ISABELLA COUNTY. 



in 1866 to the oflfice of Circuit Court Commis- 
sioner, which he held two years. In 1880 he was 
elected to the position he now holds, of Probate 
Judge. He was nominated on the Democratic ticket, 
and scored a gratifying triumph, as the county had 
at that time a conceded Republican majority of 400 
votes. He received a majority of 179 votes. 

In 187s, Mr. Bennett, associated with John Hicks, 
of St. John's, Mich., and three other capitalists of 
Clinton County, established the privatebanking-house 
of Hicks, Bennett & Co. Their office is established 
in the Opera Block, now owned by the banking firm, 
and built by Albert B. Upton. The law business of 
Mr. Bennett has gradually merged into real-estate 
transactions, in which he has extensive connections. 
In 1882 he built the Bennett House, which occupies 
a prominent position at Mt. Pleasant, and is one of 
the finest and most attractive buildings in the village. 
It is constructed of brick, is three stories above the 
basement, and fitted with the best modern appliances. 
Bennett's Addition to Mt. Pleasant includes 40 acres, 
which he platted in 1882. 

Mr. Bennett was married, Dec. 20, 1865, to Mary, 
daughter of Nelson and Catherine (Tice) Mosher. 
Her parents were among the pioneer settlers of this 
county, and her father was a prominent figure in its 
official history. She died. May 30, 1872, at the age 
of 29 years, leaving one child, Frank, born Sept. 28, 
1868. The second marriage of Mr. Bennett occurred 
Dec. 15, 187s, to Anna Palmer. She was born in 
Iosco, Livingston County, May 12, 1852, and is the 
daughter of Darwin and Elizabeth (Tice) Palmer. 
Mary, first child by this marriage, was born March 
20, 1877, and died May 28, 1883, of diphtheria. 
Nellie was born Feb. 16, 1879. 

The life of every man is a part of the history of 
his time. The swift succession of generations, afford- 
ing room for others to come, bears an impressive 
meaning and places upon the leaders of events a 
weighty responsibility. The gravest question of the 
period is, whether the existence and achievements of 
the men of to-day shall be engulfed in the rushing 
tide and consigned to oblivion. The relations of in- 
dividuals to the present and future impose upon them 
peculiar obligations. He who recognizes an opportu- 
nity and possesses the courage and hardiliood to grasp 
and mold it to his advantage, is the marked man of 
the period. His im[X)rtance is in no sense measured 







.^i. 



■^m^. 



by the prejudice or rivalry of others, but his identity 
becomes a part of the time and place where he lived. 
These considerations must impress themselves upon 
those who weigh with impartiality the career of Judge 
Bennett. In his portrait and that of Mrs. Bennett, 
which are the first presented in the biographical por- 
tion of this work, the people of Isabella County will 
experience a lively gratification. The subjects are 
open to no fulsome flattery. They represent a class 
whose lives are a benefit to the public weal and 
which reflect honor upon their deeds and motives. 



eorge W. Baker, farmer, section 15, Fre- 
mont Township, was born Feb. 15, 185 1, 

'^"^^ in Defiance Co., Ohio. His parents were 
^yF* Josiah Baker, born Aug. 10, 1820, and Rachel 
A. Baker, born Aug. 7, 1827, and died Dec. 
27, 1863. The father is still living and resides 
in Fremont Township. 

George W. was reared on the farm, and remained 
on the old homestead, assisting his father in the 
maintenanceof the family and attending the common 
schools, until he attained the age of 18 years. On 
arriving at this age he engagedin a stone quarry, and, 
alternating this with the brick-making business, was 
thus employed for several years. He then worked 
on a farm in the neighborhood and followed that oc- 
cupation for a period of two years, when, in Novem- 
ber, 1870, he came to this county. He located 80 
acres of land on section 15, Fre'mont Township; sub- 
sequently purchased 40 acres more on section 22 ; 
disposed of it and purchased another 40 acres on 
section 15, and still more recently purchased 80 
acres additional on the same section. His landed 
possessions in Fremont Township amount to 200 
acres, and of that amount he has improved and has 
in a good state of cultivation 185 acres, and has 
erected thereon a good residence and barn. 

When Mr. Baker first located in this county his 
finar.cial condition compelled him to devote his win- 
ters to labor in the woods, and he only could spend 
his summers on the farm, on section 15. The fine 
condition of the farm at the present time is indica- 
tive of what energetic effort will accomplish, and 
truly places Mr. Baker among the progressive farmers 
of his township. 



\^- 



A 



C-<>. 






tr 




<:iiii^nni> 



T-^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



""^a^^&v 



Cx" 



I 



A 



V 



^ 



A 



i8s 



Politically, he is a Democrat, and has held the 
office of School Inspector, and also School Director 
of his district. 

Mr. Baker was united in marriage with Miss Hattie 
D. Terrill, Feb. 7, 1875. She was born in Defiance 
Co., Ohio, in 1854, and was a daughter of Joseph 
and C. A. Terrill, natives of Lorain Co., Ohio. Her 
father was a farmer by occupation, a soldier in the 
late civil war, and died in a rebel prison. Mrs. 
Baker died in Isabella County, March 24, 1876. She 
was a true and loving wife, a kind neighbor and a 
generous friend, and left a host of relatives and 
friends to mourn her loss. 



-^ 









&r- 




j-Sharles J. Ayling, farmer, section 7, Lin- 
coln Township, was born in Warren Co., 
Pa., Jan. i, 1839. His parents were John- 
and Sarah (Trussler) Ayling, natives of 
England, where his father followed the occu- 
pation of farmer. The latter emigrated to 
this country after marriage, locating in Freehold, Pa. 

Charles J. remained on the parental homestead, 
assisted his father in the maintenance of the family 
and developed into manhood. He received the 
advantages afforded by the common schools of his 
native county, and improved his leisure time in the 
perfection of the same. 

July 5, 1863, he was married, in Sugar ('.rove 
Township, Warren Co., Pa., to Miss Emma Woodin, 
a native of the same county and State, where she was 
born Aug. 3, 1842. Her parents were Thomas and 
Caroline (Grosvener) Woodin, natives of New York 
and Pennsylvania, and of New England parentage. 
They came to this State in 1862 and were among the 
earliest settlers of Lincoln Township, and are both 
residents on section 18 of that township. 

Emma lived with her parents in her native county 
until her marriage, assisting her mother in her house- 
hold labors and attending the common schools. 

Mr. and Mrs. A. are the parents of five children, 
namely: Luella May, born July 16, 1865, in Warren 
Co., Pa. She is now engaged in teaching in the 
public schools of this county, and has justly obtained 
the credit of a thoroughly competent teacher. Thad 
W. was born Dec. 6, 1868; Josephine, Nov. 16, 




1870; Lee M., March 14, 1875; and Florence G., 
Oct. 25, 1879. 

The first year after nianiage, Mr. and Mrs. A. 
lived on the old homestead in \Varren Co., Pa., and 
then moved to Lottsville, same county, where they 
lived one year. In the fall of 1865, they caiue to 
this State and for one year lived with the father of 
Mrs. A. During this year, 1865, they purchased 40 
acres of land on section 7, Lincoln Townshij;, this 
county, anfl in the fall of 1866 moved on the same, 
where Mr.' A. entered on the laborious though in 
many respects' 'pleasant task of improving it. Mr. 
A. has added 40 acres to his original purchase, and 
of his 80-acre farm has 70 acres in a good state of 
cultivation. He has recently erected a large stock 
and grain barn on his farm, at a cost of $1,000. 

When Mr. Ayling first settled on his land, it was 
in a wild state of nature, and only through the per- 
sistent effort of earnest determination has he suc- 
ceeded in placing it in the cultivated condition in 
which it is found to-day. 

Politically, Mr. A. is a supporter of and believer 
in the National Greenback party. He has held the 
office of Road Commissioner seven years. Township 
Treasurer, and other minor offices. 



f|]<. crome Bachelder, farmer, section ii,Fre- 
'J^ iMut Township, was born Nov. 29, 1828, 
- 11 (Jenesee Co., N. Y. His father, Aaron 
Ikulielder, was born Dec. 2, 1797, in Vermont; 
came to New York State at the age of 14; in 
July, 1853, he located on 80 acres of land in 
Clinton Co., Mich., where he died, August, 1866; he 
was a farmer. His mother, Rhoda, iiec Northway, 
was born Aug. 8, 1803, in New Hampshire, and died 
Jan. 31, 1839, in Genesee Co., N. Y. They had five 
children, of wliom two sons only are now living. 

One of the latter, named at the head of this sketch, 
at 17 years of age gave his fiither $50 for the rest of 
his time, and commenced to work for himself. From 
December, 1852, to August, 1862, he was a resident 
of Greenbiish, Clinton Co., Mich.; since which time 
he has been a citizen of tliis county, locating first 
upon a ([uarter-section of land, where he still resides. 
He has sold 40 acres of his original purchase, and of 
the remainder he now has 90 acres in a good state of 



f 



0) 






:< 



ML 



t^ 



-^^i^K — 6v<^^i]n>:iinf> 



1 86 



m 

I :-- -- 

'^,f improvement. Being one of the first settlers here, he 
^ cut the first road in the township. He is a RepuliH- 
^^ can on political questions, has been Highway Com- 
f missioner. Justice of the Peace and Treasurer, each 
A), two terms, and belongs to Mt. Pleasant Lodge, No. 
305, F. & A. M. 

In February, 1856, he married Mary H. Fox, a 
daughter of Chauncy D. and Rosanna (Lenox) Fox, 
and who was born Feb. 25, 183S. Her father was a 
native of Connecticut, and her mother of -Masschu- 
setts: they both died in Shiawassee Co., Mich., the 
latter March 5, 1848, and the former in July, 1872. 
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bachelder are as fol- 
lows: Floyd J., born Nov. 19, 1856; Clarence A. 
and Clara R. (twins). March 28, i860; Lizzie J., Sept. 
8, 1861 ; Willie C, Oct. 6, 1863; Hattie M.,Nov. i, 
1864; Nellie M., March 3, 1872; Loa and Lua 
(twins), Nov. 25, 1873 ; Sarah C, Oct 30, 1875 ; Anna 
G., Oct. 26, 1880. 



^feil^phraim A. Salisbury, farmer on section 
33, Chippewa Township, is a son of Asil 
and Amanda (Letson) Salisbury, the for- 
mer a native of Vermont and the latter of 
Erie Co., N. Y. The parents first settled in 
the latter county, afterwards removing to Wy- 
oming Co., N. Y. In the spring of 1866 they came 
to Michigan and located in Chi|)pewa township, this 
county, where he died, Feb. 23, 1880. The mother 
is still a resident of Chippewa. The following eight 
children were reared by the parents : William H., 
Ephraim A., Paulina J., Eunice, James, Rosanna, 
Mary A. and Warren. 

The subject of this biographical sketch, the second 
son, was born in Erie Co., N. Y., Aug. 27, 1843, and 
was quite young when his parents removed to Wyo- 
ming County. He commenced to make his own 
way in life at the early age of 12, and was variously 
employed until October, 1861, when he enlisted in 
the looth N. Y. Vol. Inf. He served in that regi- 
i ment with credit three years and then re-enlisted in 
^ the Fifth U. S. Infantry, in Hancock's Corps. After 
^j one year more he was honorably discharged, at New 
^ York city, March 21, 1866. He fought bravely in 
ij) a number of engagements, among which might be 
*^ mentioned, particularly, Fair Oaks, Williamsburg and 



^^^ 



■7^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^^^((fvK' 




%s 



(q> 



the seven days' fight before Richmond. At Harri- 
son's landing he was stricken with the dread disease, 
typhoid fever, and in consequence was sent to hos- 
pital at Bedlow's Island, New York Harbor, where he 
remained two months. Recovering, he was assigned 
to detached duty at Alexandria until the close of his 
first term of service. 

After his final discharge he returned to New York, 
and soon after, in the spring of 1866, came to Isa- 
bella County and bought 80 acres of wild land on 
section 32, Chippewa Township. He erected a log 
house, which he occupied until 187 i, when he added 
to his farm 80 acres on section TyT,. Removing to 
that section, he has since lived there. In 1880 he 
built a fine dwelling, which will long stand as a 
monument to his industry and perseverance. He 
has on his farm three barns, and keeps 20 cattle, 100 
sheep and four horses. He owns 200 acres of land, 
of which 130 are in a state of scientific cultivation. 

He was married in Chippewa Township, Nov. 11, 
1866, to Miss Sarah L., daughter of Elbert and 
Lucy A. (Gibbs) Smith, natives of New York and 
Michigan. The parents first settled in Eaton Co., 
Mich., where the mother died Aug. i, i860. The 
father came in 1866 to Isabella County and settled in 
Chippewa Township, where he lived most of the time 
until 1882. He then returned to Eaton County, his 
present home. Mrs. Salisbury was born in Eaton 
Township, Eaton County, March 13, 1849. ^^"^ ^"*i 
her husband have had seven children, four of whom 
survive, — Edgar L., Elbert B., Raymond and an 
infant. The deceased are Mary L., Edith L. and 
Roy, all of whom died in infancy. 

Mr. S. has held the offices of Supervisor three 
years. Township Treasurer two years and has been 
elected to various other local offices. Politically, he 
is a Republican. 



|£ oren O. Burnham, farmer on section 24, 
Vernon Township, the sixthchildof a family 
of nine, was born in Lyme Township, Jeffer- 
son Co., N. Y., May 18, 1847, and lived on his 
father's farm until called to the defense of his 
country. 

He enlisted July 18, 1863, '" ^o. A, 20th N' 
Y. Vol. Cav., and served under Gens. Butler, Ord 






W 



<.i||j^||li;>vp. 



.>7vff<?kpr^ 



r 



y 



m 



||s/®)>«^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



>^i^SKt■'■'^ 



187 



I 

t 






V 



and McKinzie. He fought in a number of skirmishes, 
but escaped unhurt. He, however, suffered for a 
time paralysis in the lower limbs, the result of an 
attack of diphtheria ; and was in consequence obliged 
to use crutches for some time. He was honorably 
discharged Aug. 11, 1S65. 

Returning to his home in New York, he came with 
his parents the same fall to Michigan. He stopped 
for a while in Shiawassee County, attending for two 
terms the union school at Corunna. He remained 
with his parents until 1868, when he came to Isabella 
and settled in Vernon Township. He has added to 
his original purchase 120 acres and has a fine 
orchard of three acres. In the spring of i88r he 
erected a model stock and grain barn, which was 
destroyed by fire April 27, 1884. He is expecting 
to replace it this season (18S4). His parents 
afterwards came to this county and are now residents 
of the same townshij). 

He was married Aug. 31, 1869, in Wayne Co., 
Mich., to Miss Lydia M. Potter, who was born in 
that county May 9, 185 i. Five children have been 
born of this marriage: Henry Ward, Oct. 4, 1870; 
Edith J., Dec. i, 1872 ; Alton C, March 23, 1875 ; 
Emerson, July 17, 1880; Clark Y., July 22, 1883. 

Mr. and Mrs. B. attend the Baptist Church. He 
is politically a Republican, and has held the offices 
of Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of High- 
ways. 



illiam Whitehead, farmer, owns the east 
half of tiie southeast (piarter of section 30, 
'p Union Townsliip. He is a son of Richard 
and Mary (Fuller) Whitehead, and was born 
in Cambridgeshire, Eng., May 13, 18 16. He 
was reared on a farm, and has followed agricul- 
ture and masonry ever since. 

Coming to this country in 185 1, he owned different 
farms in Wayne Co., N. Y., where he also followed 
his trade, until January, 1869. He then came to 
Union Townshi|), this county, having bought 80 acres 
of timbered land in October previous. He has 
cleared 40 acres. Mr. W. is now suffering from im- 
paired health. 

He was first married in Spaulding, Lincolnshire, 
England, May 17, 1841, to Elizabeth Bartec, a 





native of England. Of this marriage nine children 
were born, seven of whom are living, — Mary A., 
Jane, Charles R., George W., Matilda, Franklin B. 
and Stella. The deceased were infants. Losing his 
wife by death in the Slate of New York, Oct. 7, 1861, 
he again married, at Rose Valley, Wayne Co., N. Y., 
Jan. 26, 1865, Mrs. Ann Reed, widow of John 
Reed, who was killed at the first battle of Bull Run. 
Carrie A., William and Josejih are the names of the 
three children born of Mr. W.'s second marriage. 
He and wife are members of the Episcopal Church. 



|i|^lzy Dush, farmer, section 2, Fremont Town 
ship, is a son of. William and Hannah 
wjw- (Todd) Dush, natives of Licking Co., Ohio. 

^S. The former, by vocation a farmer, moved from 
Ohio to Michigan in 1867, settling on 40 acres 
of section ro, Fremont Township, this county. 
He died in Licking Co., Ohio, in 1882, and his wife 
in Defiance County, that State, in 1853. 

Mr. Elzy Dush was born in Licking Co., Ohio, 
Dec. 15, 1835; remained at home with his parents 
until he was of age, when he commenced to work by 
the month as a farm laborer. In 1857 he came to 
Branch County, this State, remaining two years ; then 
spent four years in Ohio. During the latter period 
he enlisted in Co. E, i4lh Ohio Vol. Inf., was at- 
tached to the Army of the Potomac, and took part in 
the battles of Kenesaw Mountain and of the Rich- 
mond campaign. He was wounded in the arm at the 
battle of Jonesboro, and was finally discharged, with 
honor, at Cleveland, Ohio, in July, 1865. After a 
short visit home he went to Hillsdale County, this 
State, where he remained two years. He then came 
to Isabella county and located on section 3, Fremont 
Township, but afterward settled upon section 2, 
taking possession of 81 acres, where he has since 
been engaged in establishing the appointments of a 
comfortable home. 

In political affairs Mr. Dush is a decided Repub- 
lican. He has been Justice of the Peace and High- 
way Commissioner two terms each. 

In 1866 Mr. Dush married Miss Lucinda, daughter 
of Hiram and Catharine Beard, natives of the Key- 
stone State. She was born Feb. 28, 1847, in Adams 
Co., Pa. Mr. D. is the father of nine children, as 



i 



V© 






*0' 



J?^))f^#^ 



-^^^^Do^niir^v?- 



•^4^^^((^^ 




Z^d^^^:^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



ras^ii^ 



1 



^ follows : Harriet (by a former marriage), born Jan. 

'^n 19, 1862; Alice, Dec. 8, 1867 ; William, Jan. 3, 1869; 

.,';, Martha, July 8, 187 1 ; Olive, Sept. 6, 1874; Oscar, 

I Sept. 14, 1877 ; Claude, Oct. 14, 1880, and died Dec. 

^. 23, 1883; Minnie and Mina, born Aug. 17, 1882. 



iFFal^ illiam R. Crowley, farmer and carpenter, 
illi^JI^ residing on section 27, Union Townsliip, 
jJ^^ni one mile south of the corporation limits of 
vl^^ Mt. Pleasant, is a son of Lyman and Clarissa 
•4v2/' (Crook) Crowley, and was born in Wales 

\J Township, Erie Co., N. Y., Dec. 14, 1828. He 
followed farming and carpentry in the Empire State 
until February, 1865, when he came toMt. Pleasant, 
this county. His family came in August. He fol- 
lowed carpentry for' a time, and the same year of his 
arrival he bought 80 acres where he now lives. He 
has since added 40 acres on section 22, and has al- 
together 90 acres under cultivation. He has a fine 
orchard and creditable residence and farm buildings. 
He still follows his trade a portion of each year. He 
is a member of the I. O. O. F., and, taking quite a 
deep interest in school matters, has held several 
offices in his district. 

He was married in Colden, Erie Co., N. Y., May 
20, i860, to Miss Sarah Sharp, daughter of 
John and Susan (Markwell) Sharp. Mr. and Mrs. 
Sharp came from England to this country about 1843 
or '4, and settled in New York, where they lived a 
number of years, farming. They moved thence to 
Burlington, Iowa, where he died Dec. 13, 1877, and 
she in November, 1863. Their daughter, Mrs. 
Crowley, was born in Lincolnshire, Eng., Aug. 26, 
1840, and is the mother of three children : Etta A., 
born in South Wales, Erie Co., N. Y., Feb. 16, 1863; 
Nellie B., born on the farm in this county, Dec. 19, 
1869; and William W., born in this county, Sept. 
18, 1874. 



fames D. Allen, farmer and stock-raiser on 

section 12, Vernon Township, was born in 

Niagara Co., N. Y., June 28, 1857 ; and is 

a son of David P. and Clarissa A. (Timothy) 

Allen, natives of Massachusetts and Vermont. 

The father was a farmer and drover, doing for 

a time a very extensive stock business. One season. 







however, owing to a decline in values of fatted stock, 
he lost a fortune. After this event he devoted his 
attention exclusively to farming. He came to 
Michigan in 1865, settling in Clare County, of which 
he was the first permanent settler. He raised the 
first wheat in that county. In October, 1880, ,he 
came to this county, and has since resided with his 
son. He is now 74 years old. His wife is yet liv- 
ing in Clare County, aged 67. 

Their son, James D. Allen, was the youngest of ten 
children, and was eight years old when the family 
settled in Clare County, He went later to Ransom- 
ville, N. Y., where he attended school for a time. 
Returning, he worked with his father on the farm. 
Coming to this county in 1880, he bought 80 acres 
where he now lives. All his land is improved. He 
has an orchard, three acres in extent, and a barn 
40 X 82 feet in dimensions, for stock, grain, hay, etc., 
which add much to his place. He butchers cattle, 
on a large scale, for lumber camps in this and adjoin- 
ing counties. 

He was married July 29, 18S0, to Miss Hattie A., 
daughter of William and Lydia M. Finessey, natives 
of New York and Michigan and of English descent. 
She was born at Greenville, Mich., June 20,1865, 
and is the mother of one son, Helon P., born Sept. 4, 
1 88 1. Politically Mr. Allen is a Republican. 




C^: 



1 

•fs- 





Isharles A. Richardson, farmer, section 18, 
Lincoln Township, is a son of Charles G. 

and Caroline B. Richardson, natives of Maine. 

His father was born in 1820 and his mother 

in 1829. They emigrated in 1852 or '3 to 
Lorain Co., Ohio; two years afterward to Wood 
County, that State, near the village of Millgrove, 
Perry Township; also to Sandusky County, where he 
was chiefly engaged in a saw-mill; in 1865 they 
came, with their two sons and four daughters, and 
settled on section 19, Fremont Township, this county, 
on a tract of 80 acres of primitive forest, and pro- 
ceeded to clear a farm and establish the essentials of 
a permanent home; but, finally, in i88i, they again ^ 
moved, to the village of Dushville, where Mr. R. is 
now engaged in general merchandising. He has 
been Supervisor of his township four terms, and for 
some time has now been Justice of the Peace. 



1 



M. 



-(^»?«f:»>Nv© 




^. ^.MJl. 



? 

I 
t 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



M-^'^ 



-*4^^f^ 



3 






y 



^ 




Mr. Charles A. Richardson, whose name heads 
this sketch, was born in Franklin Co., Maine, Jan. 
15, 1849; spent most of his youth lumbering in the 
winter and helping his parents on the farm during 
the summer seasons. When 23 years of age he mar- 
ried Miss Grace McLeod, who was born in Hillsdale 
Co., Mich., Aug. 12, 1847, a daughter of Samuel and 
Grace (Craig) McLeod, who came to Isabella County 
in 1862, setlling on a quarter of section 18, Lincoln 
Township, among the first settlers in that part of the 
county. They were natives of Scotland, and emi- 
grated to America in 1840. He was born Feb. 6, 
1814, in the city of Edinburgh, and was killed Jan. 
3, 1864, by the falling of a tree in the lumber woods. 
Mrs. McLeod was born July i6, 1816, in Penning- 
ham Parish, Scotland, and died Dec. ig, 1870. Mr. 
and Mrs. Richardson are the parents of six children, 
one of whom is not living. The record is: Nellie G., 
born June 14, 1873; Harry A. and Clara A. (twins), 
Feb. 23, 1875; Harry A. died Sept. 24, following; 
Charles E., born May 20, 1876; Rudy R., born July 
6, 1878; and Roy A., born March 26, 1879. 

Mr. Richardson has always been counted a Demo- 
crat, on political issues, and has held the office of 
Scliool Director for five years. Mrs. R. was a pio- 
neer school-teacher in this county, teaching the first 
school in Fremont Township, in what was known as 
the "Caldwell District." 



^^^^B. Dibble, farmer, section 2,ii Union Town- 
_ i|, ship, owning 40 acres on that section and 
hiiV"^ 120 on 34, is the son of John C. and Eliza 
'Kf, (Burdick) Dibble, and was born in Maryland 
^ Township, Otsego Co., N. Y., Jan. 24, 1832. 
\ When he was quite young his parents re- 

moved to Monroe County, same State, where they 
lived until he was twenty years old, on a farm. At 
this age he left home, and coming to Dearborn Town- 
ship, Wayne County, this State, he was for 15 years 
foreman of a force of track- repairers. 

He was married at the village of Dearborn, Jan. 28, 
i85S,to Miss Abbie Kilbourn, who was born May 26, 
1832, the daughter of Heber and Elizabeth Kilbourn. 
In 1861 Mr. D. came to Union Township, this 
County, and entered 160 acres of land where he now 
lives. Unionai that timecontained but 13 voters. His 




farm was then covered with dense timber, and there 
were no roads. He has now 90 acres chopped, 
and 75 under cultivation, with two nice orchards, sev- 
eral acres in extent. 

When he came here, he was transported by cars to 
St. John's, and traveled from that place to this by ox 
team. The remainder of Mr. D.'s family came to 
Union Township three years later. Mrs. D.'s family 
came to Chippewa Township, this county, several 
years previous. 

Mr. D. and wife have had six children, five of whom 
are living. The two eldest were born in Dearborn 
Township, Wayne County, and the others in this 
County. Laura J., the wife of Arthur Jones, a farm- 
er of Union Township, was born Oct. 26, 1858; 
George H. was born Dec. 27, i860, and died April 
27, 1875 ; Frank B. was born Oct. i, 1862 ; Cairie E., 
June 10, 1864; Daniel L., .'\pril 16, 1866; Burt C. , 
March 27, 1868. 

The position of Mr. Dibble among the pioneers of 
Isabella County is such that his portrait is an espe- 
cially valuable addition to the collection presented in 
this volume. 



-^ 






A A 



£>- 




i 



A 



*->* 



®^i§^§^ 



■er^^tl!l^llll^1>^ 



ohn Rendell, farmer on section 10, Rolland, 

is a son of Job and Elizabeth (Sims) Ren- 

/j^' dell, natives of England. The father was 
dff^ born in 1804, the motlVer 10 years later. They 
^r followed farming, and emigrated to Canada in 

\ 1850, locating in Lennox Co., Ont., on 100 acres, 
which is their present home. Their family includes 
four sons and four daughters, all living. 

The subject of this biography was born Aug. 3, 
1844, in Dorsetshire, Eng., and came to Canada with 
his parents when he was but five years of age. Re- 
maining at home till 19, he then worked on a farm 
for five years. In 1869 he came to this State and 
settled in Ionia County, where he lived a year and a 
half. He came in 1871 to Isabella County and loca- 
ted on 80 acres on section 10, Rolland. He has ' 
since added 80 acres, and of his whole farm 90 acres 
are improved. He is a progressive farmer and a pop- ' 
ular citizen. 

He was married in 1870 to Miss Mary C. McCabe, , 
who was born July 30, 1850, the daughter of Elias 
and Maria J. (Sharp) McCabe. Mr. McCabe was ■ 



^^^rm^^ 



V 



T7 



-v^.l 



\y>T 



"^i^&^^isr 



-4^^<<®V^ 



^ 



s 



.:3 
) 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 




born in Canada in 1818, and Mrs. McCabe was born 
in the same country in 1820. They yet Hve in the 
Dominion. They have eight sons and three daugh- 
ters, all living but one. Mr. and Mrs. Rendell have 
had six children, whose record is as follows : Martha 
L., born June 26, 187 i ; Libbie I., July 8, 1873 ; Ter- 
esa M., Oct. 10, 1875; Phebe, March 12, 1877; 
Emma A., April 8, 1879, and Effie I., May 30, 1883. 
Politically, Mr. R. is an active supporter of the 
Republican party. He has been Moderator of his 
school district two terms, and in 1881 was elected 
Highway Commissioner. He and wife are faithful 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



eorge McDonald, proprietor of a livery 
stal)le on East Broadway, corner of 
Franklin Street, Mt. Pleasant, is a son of 
Charles and Sarah (Barnes) McDonald, and 
was born in Lockport, N. Y., Feb. 4, 1856. 
He was reared by his grandparents on a farm 
eight miles from T,ockport. 

In 1865 his parents came to St. John's, Clinton 
Co., Mich., and the following spring he came to the 
same place, his grandparents having died. His 
father was for several years a merchant at St John's, 
and was then in the livery business. Wiien 15, 
George went into the woods near Bay City as lumber- 
man. In July, 1877, he came to Mt. Pleasant and 
bought a farm of 55 acres on section 3, Union, where 
he lived two years and cleared 20 acres, besides 
making other usual imjirovcments. Coming then to 
Mt. Pleasant, he worked with his father during the 
winter of 1879-80. He next opened a saloon op- 
posite the Bamber House, and a short time later he 
opened a Inlliard saloon in Carr & Granger's old 
stand. In the fall of 1882 he built on his present 
saloon site. After one week, he was burned out, at 
a loss of $700, but he speedily rebuilt and in 11 days 
was once more doing business. In the spring of 
1 88 1 he built a large brick livery barn 38 x no feet in 
size, two stories in height, the upper story being his 
residence. He keeps a livery, board, feed and sale 
stable, and has a profitable business. His livery 
stock varies from 12 to 15 horses. He owns also two 
dwelling houses and two lots in Hopkins' Addition, 
and a vacant lot in the same vicinity. 



^" 



-an^^jR: ^A<^ 



He was married in Mt. Pleasant, Jan. i, 1879, to 
Miss Catherine Prothero, a native of Wisconsin. 
They have two children, Edith E. and George, both 
born at Mt. Pleasant. 








avid Morse, retired farmer, resident at Mt. 
||, Pleasant, was born July 2, 1821, in Genesee 
Co., N. Y. He was reared as a farmer, 
l^** and is the son of Simeon and Catherine (Nor- 
ton) Morse. He made profitable use of his op- 
Ijortunities, and at the period of his legal man- 
hood he was the possessor of 50 acres of land, which 
he afterwards increased to 100 acres. 

In the fall of 1853 Mr. Morse removed to Grand 
Rapids and became a salesman in the hardware 
store of Foster & Perry. After filling that position 
three months he opened a similar establishment at 
Ionia, in company with Loomis Mann. This relation 
existed about six months, and was terminated by /\ 
Mr. Mann's becoming sole proprietor by purchase. == 
Mr. Morse removed to Lyons, Ionia County, and ^» 
opened a store for the sale of groceries, which he = 
conducted about 18 months, and changed business -rx- 
into that of the sale of hardware. He sold the lat- a 



9 



Pleasant in the spring of 1866, where he spent ^y 
t months working at the trade of a builder. He f 



ter in 1859, and built a fine house, barn, etc., in 
Lyons. Jan. i, 1864, he enlisted in Battery G., First 
Mich. Light Artillery, Capt. Burdick, and served 
until the close of the war. He joined his command 
at Matagorda Island, on the coast of Texas, where 
they were held in reserve some time. On leaving 
the military service he returned to Lyons and em- 
barked in the commission business. He came to 
Mt 

some montns working 

had previously obtained a claim of 320 acres in Chip- 
pewa Township, section 17, and, during the time 
named, he had 13 acres of timber chopped off and 
the land otherwise improved. He rented the Pres- 
■ ton (now Bamber) House and managed it about two 
years, after which he built a house on his place and 
took possession of it, remaining until the spring of ; 
1883. He placed 75 acres under improvement, •^:- 
which constitutes a good working farm. He was Jus- 6)'. 
tice of the Peace in Chippewa Township four years. ^ 
The first marriage of Mr. Morse occurred Jan. i, @j 
1845, in Sheldon, Wyoming Co., N. Y., when Rosa- ^ 



\(r 



\;y^ — ^^^^^ 



-^^m 



m 




-^^V<^lltl>:illl>>-r- 

ISABELLA COUIVTY. 



">(vi<i"-^' 



193 



f. 



v* 



mond Howes became his wife. One child was born 
of the union, Martin, now deceased. The mother 
died in New York, and Mr. Morse was again mar- 
ried Nov. 8, 1849, to Clarissa M. Fisk, who died in 
Lyons, Mich., Feb. 21, 1864. Mr. Morse was a 
third time married, in Mt. Pleasant, Oct. 30, 1866, 
to Mar)' L., daughter of Nathaniel and Lucy (Mc- 
Kinstry) Millard. She was born Jan. 5, 1846, in 
Lake Co., Ohio. The six children now included in 
the family were born as follows, in Isabella County : 
Rosamond C, Nov. 8, 1867; Charlie U., April 27, 
1869; Flora J., Dec. 29, 1870; Archie P., Aug. 13, 
1874; George H., March 13, 1879; Frank D., Aug. 
2. The parents belong to the Presbyterian 
Church. 




V 



) 



lohn Baker, farmer and stock-raiser on 
If section 14, Vernon, was born in Peel Co., 
Ontario, Feb. 16, 1828, and is a son of 
Michael and Catherine (Frank) Baker, natives 
]C of Ontario, and Pennsylvania German descent. 
The fathef followed farming and died in 
Ontario, Can., some years since. His family includ- 
ed eight children. Of these John was the fourth. 

He lived on his father's farm until 28 years old, at 
which age he engaged at carpentry. This trade, 
which he had picked up without serving an appren- 
ticeship, he followed in Peel County for 12 years, when 
he went to Wellington County. There he took up a 
wild and unbroken forest track, and he led the usual 
life of a pioneer. In August, 1866, he came to this 
State and County, stopping with his wife and family 
for eight months at Mt. Pleasant. He then went to 
Vernon Township and located 80 acres where he now 
\ lives. After a few months he erected a log house 
and moved in his family, including seven children. 
He carried thither his supplies and light furniture 
over an Indian trail for a distance of 13 miles. 

After he was fairly settled in his new home, he 
found lie possessed only a small quantity of flour 
and ])ork, and ten cents in money. Accordingly, al- 
tlioiigh his wife came down witli a severe attack of 
'■•-' typhoid fever, he was obliged to leave home and seek 

t employment, that he might earn a little money. For 
two years he lived without any domestic animals of 
any kind, either for food or work. He has worked 
^ seven winters in the lumber woods of Clare, Isabella 



i 



^ 



s 



and Gratiot Counties. He has with commendable 
skill and perseverance kept abreast with his neigh- 
bors, in making a good home. He has added 80 
acres to his original purchase, and has 65 acres in 
cultivation. A substantial stock and grain barn and 
a comfortable residence are evidences of his enter- 
l)rise. 

He was united in marriage, in Peel Co., Ont., 
March 2, 1853, with Miss Julia A. C.Sharp, daughter 
of John and Jane (Roswell) Sharp, natives of Eng- 
land and Canada and of English descent. The 
father was by occupation a blacksmith, and died in 
Ontario, January i, 1875, aged 72 years and six 
months, on account of injuries received from ahorse. 
The mother is still living, in the Dominion. Mrs. 
Baker was born in Ontario, April 7, 1835. She and 
her husband have had eight children, six of whom 
are living: Robert J., born Feb. 15, 1854; William, 
May 31, 1855; Sarah E., Feb. 28, 1856; Michael, 
March 25, 1861 ; Jane, May 31, 1863; and Isabel, 
Oct. 3, 1865. The deceased are Catherine, born 
Oct. 24, 1859, and died Oct. 12, 1873; James, born 
Sept. 12, 1876, and died Aug. 25, 1877. 

Mr. B. is politically an earnest Republican. He 
has held the minor offices of his townsliip. I le and 
wife are members of the M. E. Church. 



|:^.onrad Hook, farmer on section 34, Chip- 
JpSSSJli pewa Township, is a son of John A. and 



J||p> "^ Margaret A. (Fladiing) Hook, natives of 
||p Germany, who came to this country in Sep- 
^ tember, 1846, settling in Ohio, and came 

I thence to Isabella County. He died Feb. 2, 
1855, and she Jan. 28, i860. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Germany 
Aug. 31, 1829, and was 17 years old when the fam- 
ily came to America. The father was a mason in 
the old country, and his work took him to various 
places away from home. At the age of 13 young 
Hook took up the same trade, and traveled with his 
father to different places, being thus engaged until 
they emigrated. In this country he followed his 
trade but a short time, and the same season that he 
came to Ohio he was, after three months' work in the 
mines, bound out for three years to the shoemaker's 
trade. He served his time and worked four years 



f 

i 

c 



A 



'>: 






r^ 



Z 



>:p||.>A:4i ^^if 



4^^^^^faX^ 




-^^^^ 



T^mmhW 



^ 



/^ 



/ 



ISABELLA COUNT v. 



more for the same man, having the principal 
charge of the business, and becoming a man of 
standing in the community. Directly after his ap- 
prenticeship he attended for a time an English 
school, he having received a good education in the 
schools of Germany. In 185 1-2 he made a tour of 
Ohio and Indiana, visiting many of the important 
cities and working at his trade. He then returned 
to Crawford Co., Ohio, and in the spring of 1853 he 
came to this county and took up 120 acres under the 
Graduation Act, afterwards homesteading 40 acres 
more. Here he has since resided, except one year 
when he worked at his trade at Alma, Gratiot County. 
He has disposed of all but 80 acres, 50 of which are 
under cultivation. 

He was married at Alma, July 11, i860, to Miss 
Mary E., daughter of Henry and Susannah (Bigley) 
Wolfe, natives of Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe 
settled first in Ohio and went thence to Monroe Co., 
Mich.; and in 1854 settled in Gratiot County, where 
he died, in Arcada Township, Feb. 8, 1862. She 
survives and is a resident of Pme River Township. 
Mrs. Hook was born in Jefferson Co., Pa., Nov. 10, 
1841. She and her husband have had two sons: 
Willie H. A. (died at the age of 14) and George 
W. T. J. 

Mr. Hook is a Freemason and an Odd-Fellow. 
Politically he is Republican. 

J arks H. Hillyard, physician and surgeon, 
resident at Dushvitle, was born in St. 
-'' Lawrence Co., N. Y., March 22, 1840. 
9A\ His parents were Jesse and Lovina (Fur- 
geson) Hillyard, natives of the State of N. Y. 
His father was a farmer by occupation, and in 
1847 moved from New York to Illinois, where he fol- 
lowed his chosen vocation for three years, and in 
1850 came to Hillsdale County, this State, where 
they are at present living, at the venerable ages of 
70 and 63 years respectively. 

Marks H. Hillyard, the subject of this biograph- 
ical notice, was reared on the farm, assisted in the 
maintenance of the family and received only such 
education as he acquired by the improvement 
of his leisure moments in study and attending the 
district school. He thus labored and studied until 





I 



c 



A 



■:C-, 



^S^^^ 



j;^^^ 



<im^M<^ 



he attained the age of 22 years. On arriving at this 
age in life, he bade adieu to the old homestead and 
went forth upon the sea of life to fight its battles 
alone. He worked at the carpenter's trade during 
summers and attended school winters. 

In the fall of 1863, Mr. Hillyard, true to the 
promptings of an honest conscience and a heart 
which beat in unison with the cause of justice, enlist- 
ed in Co. K, 27 th, Mich. Vol. Inf , which was assign- 
ed to the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. 
During the winter of 1863-4, he was engaged in 
recruiting, when he returned to his company and 
acted as First Sergeant until his discharge. He 
participated in all the battles in which his company 
was engaged, from that of the Wilderness to Cold 
Harbor, and at the latter battle was wounded, June 
3, 1864. The wound disabled him for two months, 
and at the expiration of that time he rejoined his 
command. He received his muster-out at the 
Delano House, Washington, D. C, and was finally 
discharged at Detroit, Aug. i, 1865. 

On receiving his discharge from his country's 
service, he returned to Hillsdale County and pur- 
chased a farm of 40 acres, and there followed the 
occupation of farming for a period of four years. ?7^ 
Nov. 8, 1866, Mr. Hillyard was united in marriage j/* 
with Miss Abigail Judd, who was born in 1838. She 
died Feb. 16,1871, in Hillsdale County, leaving a 
host of friends, neighbors and relatives to mourn her 
loss. 

After the death of his wife, Mr. Hillyard turned 
his attention to the study of medicine. He prose- 
cuted his studies under the instruction of Dr. Levi 
Stearns, of Hillsdale, and spent a portion of the ^^^ 
year 1875-6 attending the Eclectic Medical College i- 
at Philadelphia, Pa., and finally graduated and i 
received his diploma in 1879. 

Dr. Hillyard located in Camden, Hillsdale County, 
in the spring of 1876, and there followed the practice 
of his profession for four years, except the winter of 
1878-9 when he was at Philadelphia. While at 
Camden, the Doctor formed an acquaintance with 
Miss Anna V. Whaley, a daughter of David and 1 
Lydia Whaley, of that place, with whom he was t?';-" 
united in marriage, Dec. 7, 1879. She is an accom- 0- 
plished and affable lady. She was born in Camden, ^ 
Feb. 18, 1858. '^ 

The Doctor came to Dushville, this county, April -^ 



r 



r-?- 



s 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



ri^f^is. 



#^f 






195 



t 



'r\ 



V 



30, 1 880, where, with a gratifying degree of success, 
he has since continued to practice the profession. 
Politically, he is a Democrat. Socially, he is a mem- 
ber of Cambria Lodge, No. 259, F. & A. M. 



•nt£ej2;^^^'-m 



^-^-a/ro^rav 



1 




ames B. Allen, farmer, section 6, Pine River 
Township, was born Nov. i, 1831, in Sen- 
eca Co., N. Y., and is the son of Cornelius 
B. and Ann (Peterson) Allen. His parents 
were natives of New Jersey, and were respect- 
ively of English and German descent. They 
first located in New Jersey, and later on in life re- 
moved to the State of New York. In 1838, they 
settled in Lapeer Co., Mich., where the father died 
the next year. The mother died in Eaton County. 

Mr. Allen came to the State of Michigan with his 
parents when he was only seven years old, and when 
he was 1 1 years of age he went to Ohio, and there 
/7S remained three years, when he returned to Lapeer 
County. On reaching man's estate, he went to 
Eaton County and acted as assistant in his brother's 
store two years. He then formed a partnershi]) with 
A. Howland, and established himself in mercantile 
business, a relation which existed a year and a half. 
On disposing of his interests, Mr. Allen came to 
Gratiot County and invested his means in 320 acres 
of land in Pine River Township. He subsequently 
sold 160 acres, and of the remainder has 90 acres 
under cultivation, with commodious farm buildings. 

In all local history, it is nearly impossible to find 
the periods within one generation so widely contrast- 
ing as that of the date of Mr. Allen's settling in 
Gratiot County and his present circumstances, both 
of which periods are strongly typical. Soon after he 
located, the well-remembered time known as the 
starving period came on, from causes too well-known 
to require elaboration here. Mr. Allen, like all 
others, exerted every effort in behalf of the suffering, 
and among other practical deeds established the sale 
of articles generally required, operating on his farm. 
In 1859 he went to Alma, and there engaged in trade 
■{^f for nearly two years. He met with financial reverses 
'r. and lost nearly all his property, but honest effort 
^ and careful management have placed him amoiTg 
the substantial residents of Gratiot C'ounty. 

He was married at Grand Ledge, Eaton C;o.,Micii., 






June 29, 1854, to Lucy H., daughter of Jacob and 
Betsey Wood. Her parents were natives of New 
Hampshire, and settled in life in the State of New 
York. On coming to Michigan, they first went to 
Oakland County and thence to Eaton County, where 
the father died in 1877, and where the mother still 
resides. Two children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Allen: Nettie T., May 12, i856,and Myrtle H., 
Jan. 29, 1 861. The latter died in Milford, Oakland 
County, June 23, 1883. 

Mr. Allen was for many years an active Republi- 
can, but of late has allied himself with the National 
Greenback party. He has served three years as 
Justice of the Peace. Mr. and Mrs. Allen are both 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. They 
have been zealous adherents to the interests of the 
Christian religion, and contributed of their strength 
and means to its maintenance. The first preaching 
in his part of Gratiot County was done in the house 
of Mr. Allen, by the Rev. Ellery Hill. 






^^-.'^-^ 



ft p^^] rs. Elizabeth Hursh, widow of John 
: tjLklJ Hursh, one of the first settlers of 
1 1 Jir - ' county, is a daughter of George and Pame- 



M. 
the 



<.^^ 






■^«»»^ ^i-^^D!l^ 



lia Brown, and was born in Rose Township, 

t Wayne Co., N. Y., Sept. 9, 1819. She was 
reared on a farm, and married in the same 
township, March 22, 1837. Of her 11 children six 
were born in New York State, and five in Union 
Township. Harriet E. is the wife of Ezra Stringer, 
a farmer of this county ; Georpe H. is now in 
Saginaw County ; John D. is a hotel-keeper at Loomis, 
Isabella County ; Helen J. is the wife of Wesley 
Winter, a farmer of Deerfield Township, this county ; 
Alonzo is a farmer at Loomis; Amy is the wife of 
Wallace Mason, of Coleman ; Isabella (the first girl 
born in the county, 1853) is the wife of William 
Dodds, a farmer of Mecosta County ; Adelaide is the 
wife of Angus Walker, a farmer of this county; 
Emily, Franklin and Julian E. are at home. 

The family came to this county in 1853, and 
bought 80 acres on section 22 of what is now Union 
Township, at the rate of a dollar an acre. They 
drove from Marshall, Calhoun County, and cut their 
own road for the last ten miles. They raised a log 
house, without lumber for doors, floor, window, or 







r<MmW'i>^ 



—rrr 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



glass or other necessity in the construction of a com- 
fortable residence. They cleared all this farm, and 
made a nice home. Mr. Hursh had frequently to 
carry his provisions from Saginaw, at one time thus 
i transporting IOC pounds. At the time of his death 
"^ (Thanksgiving day, 1877), Mr. H. was keeping the 
Hursh House at Loomis. He kept hotel there for 
four years, and was previously for a number of years 
extensively engaged in lumbering. 

About 187 1, he bought a house and two lots on 
Church Street, Mt. Pleasant, which Mrs. H. now 
makes her home. She also has a claim to a quanti- 
' ty of land in this county, at present the subject of 



. litigation. 



'yxsstnM^r 



g^4— «-^.a<3OT»v. 












^^jrohn Howlader, senior member of the firm 
WM t of Rowlader & Winter, grocers at Blanch- 
^Q^^ ard, this county, was born in Wurtemberg, 
Germany, Dec. 12, 1828. When two years of 
age his parents emigrated with him to the New 
World and located in Herkimer Co., N. Y. 
They remained there for six years and then moved 
to Steuben County, same State. In that county, on a 
farm, John was reared and educated, — -remaining 
under the parental roof-tree, assisting his father and 
attending the common schools, until he attained the 
age of 18 years. On arriving at the age stated, Mr. 
Rowlader went to Yates County, his native State, 
and worked two years for farmers by the names of 
Green and Abbott. He then went to Dansville, 
Livingston County, and apprenticed himself to a Mr. 
Zachariah Dildine, to learn the blacksmith trade. 
He served his apprenticeship four years, and then 
worked as a "jour" in various localities for a period, 
when he came to this State and established a general 
blacksmith shop at Woodland Center, Barry County. 
The date of his settlement in the place last named was 
1850, and the year following he purchased a farm in 
Woodland Township, same county, and after mar- 
riage moved upon it and followed his trade, together 
with the occupation of a farmer. His brother was a 
partner with him in the business and the connection 
lasted for 13 years. In 1861 he sold his interest in 
the farm to his brother and purchased another farm, 
which he cultivated until Aug. 6, 1862. On that 





date he enlisted in Co. A, 21st Mich. Vol. Inf., to 
serve in the late civil war, and was assigned to the 
Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Gens. 
Rosecrans, Buell and Sheridan. He participated in 
the battles of Perryville and Stone River and other 
minor skirmishes in which his company were en- 
gaged. At the battle of Stone River, Jan. i, 1863, 
he was captured and after four weeks was taken to 
Libby prison, where he was confined for about 15 
days, when he was paroled. Shortly afterward he 
was taken with small-pox and was discharged May 
6, 1863. 

After he was discharged from his country's service 
he came home, and, after recovery, ran a blacksmith 
shop in Barry County for two years. He then en- 
tered on the occupation of a farmer again and suc- 
cessfully cultivated his farm for a period, when he 
sold it and purchased a saw-mill. He ran the mill 
for nine years, then sold it and moved to Seville 
Township, Gratiot County. From there he came to 
Lincoln Township, this county, and purchased 120 
acres of land on section 19 and 80 acres on section 
15. This was in 1873, and he has subsequently 
given the farm on section 19, 120 acres, to his two 
daughters. He improved 70 acres of the 80-acre 
farm on section 15 and recently sold it for $4,000. 
He invested $3,000, together with $1,000 invested 
by his son-in-law, in the business in which they are 
at present engaged. They are meeting with success 
in the enterprise and have an increasing and profit- 
able trade. 

Mr. Rowlader was united in marriage, March 23, 
1852, at Carlton Center, Barry Co., this State, with 
Miss Mary Ann, daughter of William G. and Eliza 
(Robinson) Wooley, natives of New Jersey, and of 
Scotch and German extraction. The father was a 
farmer by occupation and came to this State June 
18, 1837, settling with his family in Bowne and Cal- 
edonia Townships, Kent Co. He was the first white 
man to settle in those townships, and was one of the 
first white settlers in that county. From Kent 
County he went, in Feb., 1843, to Carlton Center, 
Barry Co., and was one of the pioneer settlers of that 
township and county. 

Mary Ann was the eldest of nine children, and was 
born in Enfield Center, Tomi)kins Co., N. Y., March 
21, 1832. When one year old she was taken by her 
parents to Ovid Township, Seneca County, same 



e 



A 



"O 

• 



I 

; 



r 



js,^. — ^-^m ^ w^y^-^ — s^^gj!^ 



w 



m 



^V4^I1I1^I1D>> 



/^ 



^^^m^"^ 



A 



:>5 



> 



■:^ 



I 



ISABELLA COUJMTY. 



197 



State, where they lived until the daughter was five 
years old and then came with them to this State. This 
was three months after the admission of Michigan as 
a State, and Mrs. Rowlader has resided within its 
boundaries ever since. She was educated in the 
common schools and in the school of "industry,"' 
which necessity required to be taught at home, and 
at 14 years of age entered on the occupation of a 
domestic. She followed that vocation for some time, 
improving her leisure time in study. At the age of 
18 years she had acquired a good common-school 
education, passed examination and entered on the 
profession of a teacher. She successfully followed 
her profession, teaching in the common schools of 
Barry County until her marriage to Mr. Rowlader, as 
stated. 

The husband and wife are the parents of five 
children, three of whom, Margaret J., Ada E. and 
Zana E., are living; and Jessie C. and Emma L. are 
deceased. The father and mother are both mem- 
bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church and have 
been faithful and energetic workers in the same for 
20 years. Mr. R. politically is a Republican. He 
is also a member of the blue lodge. No. 304, F. & A. 
M., at Woodland, Barry County, and of the Royal 
Arch Chapter at Hastings, same county. 

iS^Lvphraim F. McQueen, senior member of 




^*>- stationery, 



the firm of McC^ueen & Ralpli, dealers 
in drugs, patent medicines, paints, oils, 

J, toilet articles etc., Mt. Pleasant^ 

I was born Sept. 30, 1852, in Bridgeton, N. J. 
J His parents, John and Caroline (Lee) McQueen, 
removed to Hillsdale Co., Mich., when he was three 
years old, where they are still residents. His father 
is a painter by profession and is still pursuing tliat 
business in Hillsdale. 

Mr. McQueen attended school until he was 13 
years old, when he entered the drug-store of A. C. 
Allen to learn the details of the business. After 
serving his time he served as a clerk some time in 
Ludington and Jonesville, coming from the latter 
place to Mt. Pleasant in March, 1882. He soon 
after formed his present business association with 
Frank W. Ralph , and opened the store in which they 
have since transacted business, with satisfactory 



(i^ 



results. They have a judiciously selected stock, 
suited to their patronage. They own the building in 
which they are located. Mr. McQueen was elected 
Village Assessor in March, 1884. He is a member 
of the Masonic Order and belongs to the blue lodge 
and Royal Arch Chapter at Mt. Pleasant, and the 
Council at Jonesville. 

He was married in Hillsdale, in December, 1874, 
to Sarah E., daughter of William and Eliza Nowlin. 
She was born Oct. 29, 1853, in Pulaski, Jackson 
Co., Mich. 



|ftr|ffl.'lbert W. Hance, tanner, section 25, Lin- 
p^^^ s» coin Township, is a son of Adam and Mary 
'^If^ (Morrison) Hance, whose biography may be 
iji^ found in this work, and was born in Benning- 
I ton Township, Morrow Co., Ohio, Oct. 8, 1841. 

Mr. Hance was the oldest of six children and re- 
mained on the parental homestead, in Ohio, assisting ^ 
in the maintenance of the family and in the cultiva- d 
tion of the farm, and attending the common schools ^, 
of the county, until the removal of the family to this a 
State, in 1865. He accompanied his parents to this s^ 
State at the date named and, with the father, entered «! 
on the task of improving their wild land, which in ( >) 
the future was destined to become the property of 
our subject. They fought against deprivation and 
want, and, urged on by faith in the future develop- 
ment of the county and a determination to succeed, 
they spent no time in idleness but constantly labored 
to accomplish their aim. 

Mr. Hance was united in marriage with Miss (?^ 
Adda, daughter of Philander and Eliza (Deals) y 
Hams, May 20, 1873. Her parents are natives of 
Pennsylvania, are of Scotch extraction, and reside 
in Coe Township, this county, where the father is en- 
gaged in the occupation of farming. .\dda was 
horn June 18, 1856, in Coe Township. She remained 
at home, assisting her mother in household duties 
and attending school at the log school-house in her 
native county until the date of her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hance are the parents of two chil- 
dren, born and named as follows : Luna Bell, Sept. 
29, 1874; and Dew F., May 6, 1883. The young 
couple lived for two years with Mr. H.'s father after 
their marriage, on the old homestead, and then set- 



:^\^i^^^ :sim^ ^^-^^11!] ^DD^^-^-^^ ^^^^f^ ^^^^(^^(^ 



I 
I 



it«fe|*»- 



■^^^ja/'C:^" 



-7<:^IlD/;^|]|lv^^ 



4>tS 






y^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 






tied on his present farm of 200 acres, on section 25, 
Lincoln Township. He has 40 acres of his place 
improved, and has recently erected a residence 
thereon at a cost of $1,000, exclusive of his own 
labor in the construction of the same. 

Mr. Haiice, |>olitically, is a believer in and sup- 
porter of the principles of the Republican party, 
lie has held the offices of his school district, and is 
a respected and esteemed citizen of the townshij). 

I': atrick C. Sullivan, of the linn of Manners 

& Sullivan, blacksmiths at Mt. Pleasant, is 

'AW''^ a son of Patrick and Mary (Kelley) SuUi- 

JS van, and was born in the township of Lowe, 

''^ Ottawa Co., Pr. of Quebec, Aug. 28, 1855. 

His parents are still residing in Lowe, on a farm. 

Mr. Sullivan learned his trade in Ottawa, Can., 
which he has followed since he was 19 years of age. 
He remained in Ottawa less than two years, and 
went thence to Bay City, Mich., where he engaged 
in the service of dates & Fay, oi)erating in the winter 
season in the lumber woods and during the summer 
in their mill shops. He went in 1880 to East 
Saginaw, where he remained until August, when he 
came to Mt. Pleasant and conducted a blacksmith 
shop about six months in company with Patrick 
Mason, after which he associated Wm H. Manners 
with himself in the same business. This relation is 
still e.\isting, and they are engaged in general black- 
smithing and in the manufacture of all kinds of 
lumber tools. They also do horseshoeing and repair- 
ing. Mr. Sullivan owns his shop and residence and 
grounds on Pine Street. 

He was married Nov. 22, 1883, at Mt. Pleasant, to 
Libbie M. Carroll, a native of Cannda, born Aug. 



1859. 



S*HJMl*«=r- 







Bra C. Sti'inger, farmer on section 30, 

Union, owns 40 acres on either side of the 

ipiarter-line road, the southwest quarter 

of the northwest ipiarter, and the northwest 

(|uarter of the southwest >|uarter; and also lo 

acres in Deerfield Township. He is a son of 

Aaron and Mary (Hunt) Stringer, and was born in 



Welland Co., Can., April 28, 1833. He was reared 

on a farm, and also worked some at carpentry, which 
he learned of his father. 

In 1859 he came to Port Huron, St. Clair County, 
tliis State, and worked in the lumber woods nine 
months. Then he came to Saginaw, where he was 
similarly engaged for two years. Next he spent a 
few months at Port Huron, and then was variously 
employed at Saginaw until the fall of 1862, when he 
came to this county. He has here followed lumber- 
ing a number of winters, being first in the employ- 
ment of John M. Hursh. 

In 1863 he bought So acres, including the south 
40 of his present farm. Li June, 1865, he bought the 
north 40 of his present place, also 100 acres in Deer- 
field Township, 60 acres on section 25, and 40 on 
section 26. On his home farm 45 acres are in culti- 
vation, and on the other tracts 17 acres are improved. 
He has built appropriate farm buildings, and a nice 
residence. He is a member of the L O. O. F. 

He was married in Union Township, March 8, 
1864, to Miss Harriet E. Hursh, born in Palmyra, 
N. Y., March 3, 1839, the daughter of John M. and 
Elizabeth Hursh. The four children born of this 
marriage are as follows: Nellie, Jan. 24, 1865 ; Alice 
E., born May 7, 1867 ; Maud, Sept. 3, 1868, and 
Earl ("., Feb. 20, 1876. The first named was born 
in Ml. Pleasant; the other three on the farm. 






l®Jll' ensselaer G. Whitney, of the firm of 

i&diJ^ WIntney Hros., liverymen at Ml. Pleasant, 

^(^ " was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., Feb. 12, 

n^ 1850. He is a son of Benjamin and Caroline 

E. (Hall) Whitney. His father was a native 

of Vermont and a blacksmith ; he died in 

Ontario County, aged 72 years. His mother was 

born in Ontario County, and is still living, near Salt 

River. 

Mr. Whitney was brought up on a farm, and, on 
reaching his majority, joined his brothers, William 
T. and Chades C. Whitney, at Mt. Pleasant. He 
[lassed three years laboring as a builder, and in 1879 
was elected Constable. While discharging the duties 



(' 



(•<': 



V 






^■'^f 

\^:i 




Jf-t^jT^-"^^^ ^ . ^jL-€^^^t.X>^'Xy^l'^i_^ 



^ — — = 

I 
t 



-^Ni^^^ 



<^l 



K>r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"Z^j^Qf- 






-^|^^J((® 



1^) 



/^ 



-^ 



I 



of the post (which he held one year) he was also en- 
gaged in draying. On the expiration of his term of 
office he was appointed Deputy Sheriff, and has been 
the incumbent of the office ever since. In 1883, 
associated with his brother, George G. Whitney, he 
opened the livery stable which they are still managing. 
Their business is conducted in connection with the 
Bennett House, and they keep ten horses and livery 
accommodations in proportion to their patronage. 
They run an omnibus line for the benefit of the Ben- 
nett House, and to accommodate the public. They 
are also engaged to some extent in traffic in real 
estate, buy and sell buildings, lots, etc., and now own 
three houses and five lots. Mr. Whitney is a mem- 
ber of the Order of Masonry. 

He was first married Sept. 2, 1868, in Shorts ville, 
Ontario Co., N. Y., to Sarah L. Beaden. His second 
marriage, with Mary R. Schuyler, occurred at Mt. 
Pleasant, in September, 1876. She is a native of 
Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y. 

fohn T. Landon, a prominent farmer and 
^ lumberman, residing on section 28, Chip- 
pewa Township, is a son of Jesse and Sally 
(Trickey) Landon, natives of Canada, where 
y^ they resided most of their lives. They first 
i| settled in Lansdowne, C. W., afterwards re- 
moving to Pittsburg, C. W., whence after a few years 
they returned to Lansdowne. The father was by 
occupation a farmer, but meeting with serious mis- 
fortunes he lost all he possessed. His wife died in 
Lansdowne, about 1850, and he died at the same 
place, in the spring of 1861. Four children born to 
them grew to be adults, namely : Alfred, Sophronia, 
John T. and Rosanna. 

The subject of this biography, the second son, 
began life in Lansdowne, April 26, 1840. He was 
about nine years of age when his mother died, and 
his father being in somewhat limited circumstances 
he went to live with a young preacher named James 
Peck. Here he found a good home for one year. 
The following two years he worked by the month for 
$3 and board. He was employed by various indi- 
viduals until 21 years old, receiving sometimes as 
much as $10 per month. During many of these 




years his work brought him in contact with men 
who drank and had other bad habits, but young 
Landon stoutly resisted all temptation. To this 
earl virtue his present standing and success are di- 
rectly attributable. When young, he was often held 
fast by thoughtless and evil men who tried to pour 
whisky down his throat, and who used every means, 
foul as well as fair, to shake his resolution ; but he 
bravely answered No, and was victorious. 

When a little over 21, that is, Nov. 29, 1S61, he 
was united in marriage at Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence 
Co., N. Y., with Miss Martha, daughter of Samuel 
H. and Rhoda (Ferguson) Andress, natives of Can- 
ada. Mr. and Mrs. Andress lived in the Dominion 
until 1862, when they came to Clinton Co., Mich. 
They lived then successively three months in Clin- 
ton County, two years in Canada, four years at St. 
John's, Clinton County, and two years in Gratiot 
County. They then lived for six years in Chippewa 
Township, this county, four years on a farm in Den- 
ver Township, and finally settled in Chippewa Town- 
ship, where they still reside. Their daughter, Mrs. 
Landon, was born in Jefferson Co., Can., June 17, 
1840. 

After marriage, Mr. L. resided in Canada until the 
following summer, and in July, 1862, came to Clin- 
ton County, this State. Sept. i, following, he came 
to this county and sought employment, which he 
readily obtained for one year, at $15 per month and 
board for himself and wife. He then bought 40 
acres on section 30, Chippewa, going in debt for 
nearly all the purchase price. One year later, during 
which time he worked out by the month, he moved 
on his land. He continued to work for others, clear- 
ing his own land as fast as he could. Being fond of 
hunting, he passed part of his time in hunting and 
trapping. Three years later he bought another 40 
acres, and in two years more he sold his whole 80 and 
bought 160 acres, where he has since resided. 
Shortly after locating the last time he took a contract 
of lumbering, which proved very disastrous, and he 
found his affairs badly involved; but by untiripg en- 
ergy and perseverance he has surmounted all diffi- 
culties, and now " in the sunshine of prosperity he 
can smile at the trials of the past." He has bought 
from time to time various tracts of land and now 
owns, in Chippewa Township, Isabella County : 
1575^ acres on section 28, 80 on section 29, 40 on 




V^ 



I 









<^ 




V 



(h 



^/^*)5«^<#- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



«i^^^ 



A 



5$ 



^ 



I 

1^ 



section i8, i6o on section 15, 160 on section 11 and 
40 on section 10; and in Greendale Township, Mid- 
land County: 120 acres on section 18, and 27 on 
section 21 ; — in all, 9243^ acres, besides five village 
lots in Mt. Pleasant and 40 acres in Gladwin County. 

In the year 1873 he built the fine brick residence 
he now occupies, and which was the first brick struct- 
ure in Isabella County. In 1883 he erected two new 
bams, and he now has on his place seven barns and 
two sheds, the latter 66 feet in length. He keeps 
100 sheep, 40 cattle, 17 hogs and 6 horses. 

Mr. Landon has been President of the Isabella 
County Agricultural Society for four years, and to 
him belongs the credit of making that useful organi- 
zation what it is. He cleared the land, arranged 
necessary details and advanced the means to put it 
in running order. He has often been urged to ac- 
cept offices as the gift of his fellow citizens, but has 
invariably declined, except in the case of several 
school offices. Politically, Mr. Landon acts on all 
occasions with the Republican party. He and wife 
are active members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

We are certain that the citizens of Isabella County 
will look for Mr. Landon's portrait in this Album, 
and we therefore give it, on a preceding page. 



~«^<4c|^>,.. 



eorge Sandbrook, farmer, section 30, Fre- 
mont, is a son of William and Ann (Bea- 
ven) Sandbrook, natives of England and 
members of the farming community : father 
died in 1881 and mother in 1878. George was 
born March 7, 1842, in Merthyr, England; at 
the age of 12 he began to work on the farm ; in 1867 
he emigrated to the United States, landing a tCastle 
Garden, New York city, and working as a hired gar- 
dener until the following April ; next he resided a 
year I'n Wayne Co., Mich., working on a farm ; in 
1869-70 he cut wood for Charles Lamb in Clinton 
County; he then bought 120 acres of primitive land 
where he now resides, but did not then settle upon 
it. The following winter he spent at St. John's; in 
the spring he did some chopping on his land; dur- 
ing the summer he was at work in Wayne and Oak- 





land Counties, and then came again to Isabella 
County and worked in the lumber woods for M. 
Stinchfield. He has since cleared about 40 acres of 
his land, built a good barn in the summer of i 
and made other improvements. He has been an 
officer of his school district two terms, and in regard 
to political questions takes Republican views. 

In the month of June, 1871, Mr. Sandbrook mar- 
ried Miss Carrie F. Bezner, who was born in 1B45. 
Her parents dying when she was an infant, she was 
brought up in the family of a man named Shaw, in 
Wayne Co., Mich. She died May 9, 1880, leaving 
two sons, namely: William M., born in October, 1872; 
and Thomas, in June, 1874. 



iherman D. Eldred, farmer, section 
Rolland Township, is the son of Judson 



n 



-I 

K ''^ and Mary (Dopp) Eldred, natives of New ^ 
'nV York State, the former born in New Lisbon, ^ 
May 20, 1 81 9, and the latter in Geneseo, March (^ 
24, 1828. The former came to Michigan when ^ 
a young man, residing at first for a while at Hillsdale, \^ 
and in the spring of 1866 he settled upon a one- ^ 
eighth-section of land in Rolland Township, this r ;) 
county. In 1870 he moved to Broomfield Township, 
and in 1881 he sold and went to Missouri; in a short 
time he sold out there and returned to Broomfield 
Township. They are both yet living on the farm he 
last purchased. Of their 14 children, 6 are deceased. 

The subject of this sketch was born Aug. 15, 1852, 
in Branch Co., Mich. 

When 20 years of age he engaged as clerk for T. 
C. Gardner, general n-;erchant, at Millbrook ; also 
worked some at carpentering. In 1877 Mr. E. came 
to the farm he now owns, the tract comprising 320 
acres; 140 acres of this are now under cultivation. 
He has good improvements, and one of the best barns 
in the township, built in 1882. At present Mr. 
Eldred is Supervisor of the township of Rolland and 
he has been Highway Commissioner one term. Is a 
member of the Masonic Order, and in politics is a 
supporter of the Republican party. 

March 24, 1874, Mr. Eldred was married to Miss 
Jennie, daughter of Cliamplin H. and Rachel (Slater) 
Roberts. She was born Oct. 5, 1856, in Susquehanna _ 



c 



^ 



'®))€^rt- 



.^^^s: ©VC?llB>:tlI]^>r- 



4^^c^vi 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



203 






'^ 



V 



J 



^ 



% 




Co., Pa. Her father was born in 1835, and her mother, 

now deceased, was born in 1836. 
.-.'J* Mr- and Mrs. E. are the parents of three children, 
y namely: .\lice E., borji June 19, 1875; Florence M., 
(^ Sept. 8, 1879; and Mary B., May 15, 1882. 



["ohn Maxwell, merchant at Mt. Pleasant, 
\i was born March 15, 1837, in Glasgow, 
Scotland. His parents, Daniel and Helen 
(Agnew) Maxwell, were natives of the same 
country, where they passed their entire lives. 
His father was born in Stirling, and was a 
maltster by calling. His mother was born in the 
South of Scotland. 

When Mr. Maxwell was 1 1 years old he entered 
into an apprenticeship to learn the trade of a watch- 
maker. He served five years under his indentures 
and pursued the business some years longer. He 
came to the United States in the fall of 1857 and 
went to West Unity, Ohio, where he opened a shop 
and continued in business five years. In the spring 
of 1863 he came to Isabella County and entered a 
homestead claim of 160 acres of land on section 29, 
in Lincoln Township, where he resided until tlie 
spring of 1870. His farm is valuable, with about 70 
acres under cultivation. He officiated as Supervisor 
of Lincoln two terms and held other minor offices. 
In the fall of 1869 he was elected Sheriff of Isabella 
County on the Republican ticket. He held the jw- 
sition a year and on his resignation appointed County 
Treasurer, to fill the vacancy created by the death of 
the incumbent. Nelson Mosher. He held the position 
seven successive years, being thrice re-elected. He 
established his [iresent business April r, 1880, in 
company with J. E. Fessenden. A year later, the 
connection was terminated by Mr. Maxwell buying 
the interest of his partner, since which time he has 
operated alone. He carries a well-assorted stock, 
suited to his trade, and estimated at $10,000 in value, 
including dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, crock- 
ery, ready-made clothing, hats, caps, etc. His es- 
tablishment is one of the leading business houses of 
Mt. Pleasant, and his trade is prosperous and satis- 
factory. His farm is managed by his son. 

Mr. Maxwell was the first President of the village 



of Mt. Pleasant, which iX)sition he filled two terms. 
He has officiated several terms as member of the 
Town Council, and is at present one of the School 
Board. He is a prominent member of the Masonic 
Order, belonging to the Royal Arch Chapter and to 
the lower body. Lodge No. 305, at Mt. Pleasant. He 
is a charter member of the lodges at that place and 
at Salt River, and assisted in the organization of 
both. 

Mr. Maxwell was married at West Unity, Ohio, to 
Mary C. Goll. Two children, John and Ellen, were 
born of their union. The mother died, and Mr. 
Maxwell was a second time married in 1879, to M. 
E. Slater, of Isabella County. Mr. and Mrs. Max- 
well are members of the M. E. Church. 




■onrad Buhrer, farmer, section 12, Rol- 

ipTTs^ land Township, is a son of Jacob and Bar- 

,,fe^ bara (Bolle) Buhrer, natives of Switzerland. 



fjl? His father was born in 1786 and died in 1847, 
and his mother was born in 1803 and died in 
1875, in Adrian, this State. 

The subject of this sketch was born June 21, 1839, 
in Switzerland : landed at New York city May 3, 
1861, where he remained a short time; next, was 
three months at Toledo, Ohio, then at Adrian, Mich., 
awhile, working on a farm, and Toledo again, work- 
nine months in a sash factory. At this time he con- 
cluded that patriotism required him to uphold the 
Union Government by risking his life ujwn the field of 
battle, or, what is worse, in the military camp. Accord- 
ingly, he enlisted in Co. K, 37th Ohio Inf., which 
served under Gen. Sherman. He was engaged in the 
battles at Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Big Shanty 
and Marietta, and was wounded at Atlanta, Aug. 24, 
1864, in consequence of which he was in the hospital 
30 days, at home in Toledo on furlough, and then 
till the close of the war at Cleveland, Ohio, where he 
was honorably discharged June 5, 1865. He then 
worked one year at Toledo, two years at Adrian, 
Mich., and then he bought 40 acres in Fulton Co., O. 
On this he lived till Oct. 15, 1879, when he came to 
his present home in this county. With regard to 
national questions, Mr. B. is a Republican. 

In 1868 he married Miss Frany, a daughter of 



n 



I 

.\t. 



\ 



'? 



& 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



;0 

i 

1 



{) 




^ Jacob and Mary (Dinger) Master, natives of Ger- 
m many, who live on a farm in Henrj' Co., Ohio. Mrs. 
^^ B. was born July lo, 1850. The children of Mr. and 
I Mrs. B. are: Minnie, born Oct. 20, 1869; Jacob B., 
(hj April 8, 1871 ; Mary, June 15, 1873; Lydia, Oct. 12, 

1874; Edward, April 19, 1876; William, May 31, 

1878; and Alphena, Dec. 20, 1882. - 



—¥% 



ewett E. Chatterton, general merchant at 
'l Mt. Pleasant, and member of the lumber 
firm of Walker & Chatterton, was born 
Dec. 7, 1840, in Mt. Holly, Rutland Co., Vt. 
He is a son of Daniel and Betsey (Jewett) Chat- 
terton, who removed to Michigan in 1852. 
They settled on 160 acres of land in Meridian 
Township, Ingham County, four miles east of Lan- 
sing. Their family includes four children : George 
A. Chatterton, an insurance agent at Hubbardston, 
Ionia Co., Mich. ; Mason D. Chatterton, an attorney 
at Mason, Mich., and Probate Judge of Ingham 
County ; Sarah E., the wife of Augustus Sturges, and 
residing on a celebrated piece of property near the 
city of Richmond, Va., known as the Hopewell 
Farm. 

Daniel Chatterton was born in 1807, in Mt. Holly, 
Rutland Co., Vt., and died in Meridian, Ingham Co., 
Mich., in i866. Betsey (Jewett) Chatterton was 
born in 1804, in Littleton, Mass., and died in the 
same place where the demise of her husband occur- 
red, in 1877. Her parents were natives of Massa- 
chusetts, of English descent. The paternal grand- 
parents of the subject of this sketch were born in 
Connecticut, and were of English ancestry. 

Mr. Chatterton attended the common schools of 
Ingham County until he was 17 years old. He then 
became a student in Lansing, and after tivo years of 
study he entered the Agricultural College near that 
city, where he was a student three years, after which 

The went to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and pursued a 
course of commercial study at Eastman's Business 
"^ College, where he was graduated in 1863. Mean- 
M/ while he engaged in teaching, and taught six winter 
i^ terms from 1859 to 1865. 

f® In the year last named he went to Hubbardston, 

^ Ionia County, and in company with his brother 




<^ 



George, he established a mercantile business. The 
relation existed four years, and after his brother's 
withdrawal Mr. Chatterton continued the manage- 
ment of his mercantile interests at that point ten 
years. He came to Mt. Pleasant in May, 1880, and 
at once established the business interests in which 
he has since been engaged. His average stock rep- 
resents an estimated value of between five and eight 
thousand dollars, and his trade is in a thriving con- 
dition, requiring two assistants. In March, t88i, he 
formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, John 
P. Walker, and they purchased a lumber mill in Mt. 
Pleasant, Mich. In the operations of this they em- 
ploy about 25 men. The daily product averages 
30,000 shingles, and they expectto cut about 2,000,000 
feet of lumber in 1884. They ship their products 
chiefly to the East. They combine building con- 
tracts with their other business and conduct a retail 
yard in connection with the mill. Mr. Chatterton 
owns four lo*s in the village of Mt. Pleasant, where 
he built a handsome brick residence in 1882-3. He 
also owns three lots, on which he has erected three 
nice cottages to re it. He is a member of the Order 
of Masonry. 

Mr. Chatterton was married April 28, 1867, to A. 
Elizabeth, daughter of D. D. and Angeline (Howard) 
Adams, who was born in Livingston Co., N. Y., July 
15, 1841. Her father was born in 1806, in Madison 
Co., N. Y., and was of English descent. He re- 
moved to Michigan in 1847, and died in Antrim, in 
the county of that name, in 1880. His wife was 
born in 1814, in Connecticut, of English parentage. 
Her marriage occurred in 1834, and she died in 
Antrim Township in 1854, leaving five daughters and 
three sons. Mr. and Mrs. Chatterton have two sons : 
Howard E., born March 16, 1872, and Harry J., born 
Nov. 10, 1874. 



Ifred L. Young, hardware merchant. Salt "C 
River, is a son of John G. and Lydia A. 1 
(Artz) Young, natives of Pennsylvania, who ^V 
settled in this county in 1867 and died in Salt ^y 
River. Their family comprised ten children. ^> 
The fourth son, the subject of this sketch, was ^j 
born in Pennsylvania, June 12, 1850, educated in v 






c^: 



A 




?^ nOC-^-i^ ^^^^f:. 






m 



i 



:<|- 



za^^ 6V4'>IlIl§III]y>r- 



":2^(s«r 



9<.^:.^ 



-f^^^Cd^^ig 






>;.' 



V 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



the common schools, and came to Isabella County 
with his parents in 1867. He was first employed by 
his father in a grist and saw mill, in which business 
he was engaged until 1876, 'V'hen adivision was made, 
he taking charge of the grist-mill, with a younger 
brother, in the interest of their parents, until the death 
of the latter. In April, 1883, they sold their interest 
in the grist-mill and formed a partnership in tlie 
the hardware and agricultural implement trade, in 
which they are succeeding well. 

Mr. Young is a member of the I. (I O. F., and in 
political affairs votes with the Democratic party. 

He was married, in Salt River, Aug. 30, 1879, to 
Miss Clara, daughter of J. E. and Elizabeth (Baker) 
Morion, residents of Mecosta County. Mrs. Y. was 
born in Maine, Dec. 25, 1859. They are the parents 
of two children, — Elton M. and Alfred E. 

In July, i86g, Mr. Young met with a serious ac- 
cident, by which he lost his right arm. In running 
a belt upon a pulley he was caught by that arm, which 
was taken off nearly to the shoulder! He had, indeed^ 
a very narrow escape with his life. 



^^S^-^^'*''^ ^ 




I 



■^i 



ames Manwell, Supervisor of Fremont 
Township, residing on section 14, is a son 
of Robert and Margaret (Scott) Manwell, 
natives of Scotland and now residents of Can- 
jL ada, upon a farm. 

\ The subject of this sketch was born June 20, 
1844, in Lanarkshire, Scotland; in 1857 he emigrated 
to Canada; in 1865 to Portage Co., Ohio; after a 
time, returned to Canada; then to Portage Co., Ohio, 
again; and in 1876 to Isabella County, settling on 
section 22, Fremont Township. He. afterward sold 
this place and bought a portion of sections 13 and i.|, 
same townsliip, the amount being 80 acres. Here 
Mr. Manwell is winning from the soil a livelihood for 
himself and family, and is exhibiting the example of 
an industrious and prosperous farmer. He has been 
Township Clerk two terms, and has been Supervisor 
since the spring of 1882. Of national questions he 
takes Democratic views, and he is a member of the 
Masonic Order, Wabon Lodge, No. 305. 

Aug. 17, 1878, Mr. Manwell married Miss Eurana 
Hunt, who was born March 20, i860, in the town of 



Fairfield, Lenawee Co., Mich. Her father, Jason A. 
Hunt, was born in the State of New York, and her 
mother, Chloe, nee Scovel, was born in Cuyahoga 
Co., Ohio. They settled in Fremont Township, this 
county, in 1876, where they at present reside. Mr. 
and Mrs. Manwell have one child, Menso J., who 
was born May 4, 1879, in this county. 



IfH^ eorge G. Whitney, of the firm of Whit- 



IJi i^all ney Bros, liverymen at Mt. Pleasant, was 
'^Bt ^ born Oct. 4, 1845, '" Ontario Co , N. Y., 
^/K*^ and is a son of Benjamin and Caroline E. 

T (Hall) Whitney. (See sketch of R. G. Whit- 
f ney.) At the age of n years he was appren- 
ticed to the Empire Drill Company, of Shortsville, 
N. Y., to learn wood and carpenter work on their 
machines. He remained in their service until he 
was 16 years old, when he enlisted. The civil war 
had broken out a few months previous, and he 
yielded to the influence which ruled all classes and 
conditions of men in the North. He enrolled at 
Canandaigua, in Co. L, 24 th N. Y. Vol. Cav., as 
bugler, and served two years. He was with his 
regiment in the engagements of the Wilderness, 
at North Anna River, Cold Harbor, Spottsylvania 
Court-House, and on the 17th and i8th of Jure, 
1864, in front of Petersburg. They were again 
engaged in the siege of that city Sept. 30, 1864, and 
afterwards at Hopper's Farm, Farmville, Appomattox 
Court-House, Stony Creek, and in numberless skir- 
mishes of minor importance. At the storming of 
Petersburg, June 17, 1864, he was slightly wounded 
in the head by a piece of shell, otherwise escaping 
unharmed throughout the entire period of his service. 
He was discharged June 11, 1865, at Cloud's Mills, 
Va. In the month following he came to Michigan 
and located at Cambria Mills, Hillsdale County, 
where he pursued the business of a carpenter. In 
the spring of i88i he came to Mt. Pleasant, where 
he was similarly engaged a year. In the spring of 
1882 he entered into association with his brother, 
in which they are now operating with gratifying 
results. 

Mr. Whitney was married Nov. 19, 1865, in Cam- 
bria Mills, to Mary A. Jackson. She was born 



I 

1 

% 



m 



&t 



1=3: 




-2^€»s^ — 6V4^nii§iiny> 



"T-T^T- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^((®V(i| 



^^ 



March 19, 1848, in Wheatland, Hillsdale Co., Mich., 
and is a daughter of Zachariah and Charlotte Jack- 
son. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Whitney, as follows: Clara, Aug. 30, 1866; Vettie, 
Oct. 24, 1869; Charlie B., Aug. 8, 1872, and Everett, 
May 20, 1874. The latter was killed at Isabella 
City, Aug. 25, 1883, by being thrown from a horse he 
was riding. His foot caught in the stirrup and he 
was dragged some distance, receiving injuries from 
which he died. 




pharles Taylor, residing on section 29, Chip- 
pewa Township, is a son of Thomas and 
Mary (Church) Taylor, who were born and 
lived in England till the father's death. After 
that event the mother came to America and 
lived in Orleans Co., N. Y., until her death. 
Their children numbered three, Charles being the 
eldest. 

He was born in England in October, 1829, and 
was nine years of age wlien he came with his mother 
to the Great Republic. He lived in Orleans Co., 
N. Y., until 18 years old, attending school and work- 
ing on the farm. He worked out by the montli for 
nearly four years, and in 1851 returned to England 
for a six months' visit, partly on business and partly 
for pleasure. He attended the World's Fair at Lon- 
don, one of the first of the great exhibitions which 
have been held frequently since in other cities. After 
one year more in Orleans County, he came, in April, 
1853, to Michigan, and lived in Eaton County about 
two years. In February, 1855, he came to this 
county and bought 240 acres in Chippewa Township. 
He built first a log house, which he occupied about 
eight years, then a small frame dwelling, in which he 
lived until 187 i ; and in that year he built his pres- 
ent residence. He has since disposed of all but 80 
acres of his farm, and now has in cultivation 50 
acres. 

He was first married in England, Jan. 15, 1852, to 
Miss Ann, daughter of (leorge Franklin, a native of 
Albion's Isle. She died March 17, 1852. Aug. 26, 
of that year, he married, for his present wife. Miss 
Sophronia, daughter of Jesse and Sarah (Trickey) 
Landon, natives of Canada and Virginia. Mj-s. Tay- 
lor was born in the former country, April 23, 1843, 



and has borne to her husband eight children, six of 
whom survive : Charles W., Warren D., William A., 
Mary A., Florence A., Rosina, Ella and Sidney. 
William A. and Sidney are deceased. 

Mr. Taylor has been Township Clerk and Justice 
of the Peace, and is now Township Treasurer, having 
been elected in the spring of 1883. He takes a deep 
interest in education, and has held the several dis- 
trict school offices. Quite early in life, after receiv- 
ing a common-school education, he began to study 
for the ministry. In 1853 he was licensed as an 
exhorter and in 1856 as a local preacher of the gos- 
pel, for the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which 
he and wife are still consistent members. He has 
preached effectively at various points in this section, 
in Eaton County and in Gratiot County. 

Mr. Taylor votes the Republican ticket. 



-^3= 



P eth S. Richardson, farmer, section 30, Fre- 
i^^jk^ mont Township, is a son of Asa P. and 
K ' Jane (Staple) Richardson. The former was 
,jNi ^oxw in Vermont in 1797, was employed in 




farming, in lumbering, also locatinglines in the 
wilderness of the Pine-Tree State ; moved with 
his family to Ohio in 1851, settling first in Lorain 
County, two years afterward to Montgomery Town- 
ship, Wood Co., Ohio, subsequently to Jackson Town- 
shij), same county, and finally, in 1868, to this 
county, where he lived with his children until 
his death, which occurrt-d March 30, 1S79, at the 
residence of his son Barnard. His widow, who 
\v^% born in Maine in 1806, is still living, " hale and 
hearty," with her son Charles at Dushville. All her 
12 children are living and are heads of families, four 
in Ohio and eight in Michigan. 

The subject of this sketch was born Oct. 31, 1826, 
in the State of Maine; worked at lumbering and 
farming in his native State until he was 26 years of 
age, when he moved to Lorain Co., Ohio, and after- 
ward to Wood County, that State. In 1868 he moved 
to this county and homesteaded 40 acres; he subse- 
(juently purchased 120 acres more, and he now has 
about 60 acres in good cultivation. He has been 
Township Treasurer two terms. Highway Commis- 



^ 



I 

A 



■>;' 






<^ 



K^)5«^^ 



A<>D n :^ Dlli>VQ s^^^i^ 






r-JlSS^ 



mr^^^^ 



Tas^^^s^ 6V<>DH^nil^>r-^ 3«€^5sr 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



207 



^\ 



sioner two terms and school officer 13 years in suc- 
cession. Politically he is a Republican. 

Before he left the State of Maine, Mr. Richardson 
married Miss Emily, daughter of Henry and Isabella 
Taylor, who was born Aug. 3, 1835, and died April 
5, 1857. Two years afterward he married Miss Mary 
A., daughter of Samuel and Eliza A. ( Ragon ) 
McEwen, the former a native of Pennsylvania and 
the latter of Kentucky, both now residing in Seneca 
Co., Ohio, on a farm. Mrs. R. was born May 8, 
1839. The children of Mr. and Mrs. R. are six in 
number, as follows: Charles H.. born Nov. 10, 1861 ; 
Eliza J., Dec. 26, T863; Emma, Oct. 12, 1865 ; Geo. 
W., Aug. 3, 1868; Mary L., Dec. 11, 1870; and 
Cena A., Dec. 21, 1873. The first three were born 
in Ohio, the last three in Michigan. 






illiam H. Kinter, proprietor of hotel. Salt 
l^^^b River, is a son of Cyrenus and Jane (Lee) 

,„,;<^^;L * Kintpr_ whn wprp natJvpQ rS ^f^-w VnrV 



'O 



Kinter, who w^re natives of New York 
State and Illinois, respectively, and settled 
*^jv2/' first in Eaton Co., Mich., where they lived 
[^ about 22 years ; they then came and located in 
Coe Township, where they now reside. 

In this family were three children, of whom the 
subject of this sketch was the eldest son. He was 
born in Eaton Co., Mich., Nov. 21, 1842, and edu- 
cated at the common school. In July, 1861, he en- 
listed in the Fifth Mich. Vol. Inf and served three 
years, being in 30 important engagements, from Jan. 
9, 1862, to the siege of Petersburg, which continued 
till April 3, 1865 ; and he was also in numerous 
skirmishes. He was discharged at Detroit, Mich., 
and, returning to his home in this county, he was 
for about a year unable to labor, on account of sick- 
ness. He then bought a farm of 120 acres in Coe 
Township, where he resided until 1883, wlien he 
purchased the hotel at Salt River, which he now 
manages. He has about 100 acres of his farm in 
cultivation. 

He was married in Gratiot Co., Mich., July 4, 1869, 
to Emily, daughter of Amos and Sarah (Rossiter) 
White, natives of the State of New York, who settled 
in this county about i860. Mrs. K. was born in 
' Calhoun Co., Mich., Feb. 27, 1850. Mr. and Mrs. 



I „ 



K., having no children of their own, have adopted 
a son, whose name is Rollin S. 

On national questions Mr. Kinter acts with the Re- 
publican party. 



-J-~v^/v! 






ichael Murtha, Register of Deeds of Isa- 



■t— li^ bella County, residing at Mt. Pleasant, 



:i - "■ was born May 7, 1844, in Portland Town- 
^'\ ship, Ionia Co., Mich. He is the fourth of 



^^ 



.^: 



nine children born to his parents, Patrick and 
Ann (Hoy) Murtha, all of whom are living. In 
1856 his father removed with his family to Coe Town- 
ship, Isabella County, and settled on 160 acres of 
land on section 8, which he afterwards increased by 
the purchase of 80 acres additional. Both his par- 
ents died on the homestead. 

Mr. Murtha was reared on the farm and was en- 
gaged in farm labors until he was 19 years old. He 
obtained a fair education by devoting the winter sea- 
sons to earnest study, and, after the age named, he 
spent some time in teaching and as a clerk. He 
owns a farm in Coe Township, whicli is located on 
section 9, and contains 40 acres of land, with 25 
acres under cultivation. 

Mr. Murtha has officiated as Clerk of Coe Town- 
ship one term, and as School Inspector several years. 
He has also served as Township Treasurer two terms. 
In the fall of 1882 he was placed in nomination on 
the Democratic ticket, for the position he is now fill- 
ing, running against C. W. Gardner, and was elected 
by 66 majority. He is a member of the Order of 
Masonry. He was married Oct. 23, 1872, at Salt 
River, Coe Township, to Sarah, daughter of James 
C. and Hannah W. Merrill. She was born in Portland, 
Me., Oct. 3, 1845. Their children are: James M,, 
born Aug. 31, 1873; Anna, May 9, 1S79; and an in- 
fant child, unnamed. 

Mr. Murtha's parents were among the first settlers 
of Coe Township. Following is the record of their 
children : Stephen P. is a farmer of Coe Township, 
and married Catherine Gruber; George W. is a 
farmer in the same township, and married Maria 
Struble; Anhur is acting as clerk for Mr. Murtha, 
of this sketch ; Richard E. is a student at the State 
Normal School at Ypsilanti; Sarah A. is the wife of 
Dr. J. P. Young, of Turlock, Cal. 






I 




'y^^^^'^f®^ 



r^^iis- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



v^) 



lien S. Fay, farmer on section ^^, Chi[)- 
||(«_3-s»-s» pewa Township, is a son of Silas and Roba 
y^a (Allen) Fay, natives of Connecticut and Ver- 
''b^^ mont. The parents first settled in Wyoming 
i Co., N. Y., and about 1865 they removed to 
Iowa, where the mother died, in November, 1865. 
The bereaved husband went on a visit to New York 
and Pennsylvania, and while at Attica, N. Y., he died, 
in June, 1873. His remains were taken to Iowa and 
buried beside his wife. Their family comprised three 
sons and five daughters, Allen being the eldest. 

He was born in Wyoming Co., N. Y., Dec. 26, 1826, 
and remained at home until nearly the age of 21, 
alternately attending school and working on his 
father's farm. He bought seven months of his time 
from his father, paying for the same $40, and then 
worked out by the month. He then went to Penn- 
sylvania, where he worked in a saw-mill off and on 
for six years. 

He was married in Wyoming Co., N. Y., Aug. 22, 
1853, to Miss Salina E., daughter of George and 
Eliza (Buck) Wood, natives of New York. Mrs. 
Fay was born in Cattaraugus Co. N. Y., Oct. 18, 
1828. Before marriage, Mr. F. had purchased a 
farm in McKean Co., Pa., and they at once settled 
on the same, where they lived three and a half years. 
He then sold, returned to New York State, and 
bought a steam saw and shingle mill, which he ran 
about seven years. In the meantime he made a 
ten-months visit to Pike's Peak in search of health. 
In the spring of 1865 he came to Isabella County 
and bought 80 acres of land on section ^:^, where he 
has since resided. He now owns 260 acres, 155 
under cultivation, — a handsome farm. 

Mr. Fay is politically a Republican. He is a mem- 
ber of the F. & A. M., and has belonged to the 
I. O. O. F. He and wife belong to the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of which he has been Steward 15 
years. 

Mr. F helped to build the tram-road for the Tuny 
Lumber Company, in McKean Co., Pa., which he 
ran for three years. He formerly made frequent 
trips down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, on rafts. 
He spent altogether seven years in the employ of 



i 



that company, and on the river and on his Pennsyl- 
vania farm. Since coming to this county he has 
worked some in the woods, and was foreman for T. E. 
Arnold in the winter of 1865-6. 

He has held the office of County Superintendent 
of the Poor for seven years. Township Treasurer three 
years, and Highway Commissioner four years. He 
takes a deep interest in the welfare of the township, 
and is pre-eminently one of its representative citizens. 



•'»«2fiC'©~^-^— ^^1 



-^^arnny 




.3^^ ^T^^DIIS 



g^idney Clark, druggist and Postmaster, Salt 
River, is a son of Robert and Martha 
(Clark) Clark, natives of New York State 
who first settled in St. Lawrence County, that 
State, and removed to Isabella County in the 
fall of 1864, settling in Coe Township, where 
they now reside. Their family comprised six sons 
and two daughters. 

The second son, Sidney, was born in St. Lawrence 
Co , N. Y., May 7, 1843, and was educated at the 
common school. He came with the family to this 
county in 1864, and for about four years was in the 
employment of Aaron Wessells, at St. Louis and 
Salt River. He next engaged in mercantile pu 
suits at the latter place, but soon abandoned thei 
selling out and buying i;o acres of land on section i. 
Coe Township, where he resided a year and a halt; 
he then sold out and removed to Calhoun Co., Mich., 
residing there two years, engaged in mill work and 
carpentering, and one year as a clerk; next he had 
charge of the machinery in a woolen factory in 
Van Buren Co., Mich., one year, when, on account of 
ill health, he returned to St. Louis, Gratiot Co., and 
for a year was employed as clerk by A. Wessells. He 
was next engaged for two years in a shingle-raill in 
Clare County, this State, and then, at Bay City, he 
was first engineer for N. B. Bradley for six years. 
Then he returned to Coe Township and settled on a 
farm of 20 acres, which he conducted until January, 
1883, when he sold out, moved to Salt River and 
established himself in the drug business, in which he 
is succeeding well. He was appointed Postmaster at 
this place Nov. 8, 1883. He has also held the offices 
of Constable, Deputy Township Clerk and School 



I 

i 



^5 







J\\ -^ . 



CiJjLyH^ci^T-i ^^^^/y^,^?^:^^-^ 



m 
I 

f 



-2^^§]psr 



"7 



<-^t 



>r- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Director. He is a member of the Masonic Order and 
of the G. A. R. 

In the fall of 1861, Mr. Clark enlisted in the 92d 
N. Y. Vol. Inf , served a year and over, in the " Bal- 
loon Corps," and was honorably discharged at Fort- 
ress Monroe, for disability. In political affairs he is 
a Republican, and, with his wife, a member of the 
M. E. Church. 

Mr. Clark was married in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., 
Feb. 14, 1864, to Miss Ruth Dunn, a daughter of 
fedward and Jane Dunn, natives of the Empire State. 
Mrs. C. was born in that county, Feb. 9, 1844. They 
have had three children ; Hollis N., now deceased, 
Iva M. and Eddie. 




^ 




Alexander Brodie, farmer, section 26, Union 
Township, was born Aug. i,^, 1834, near 
Greenock, on the River Clyde, in Scotland, 
and is a son of James and Christina (Thomp- 
son) Brodie. Mr. Brodie was sent to school 
until he was 19 years old, and acted during the last 
four years of that time as an assistant in the school 
he attended. He came to Norfolk Co., Canada, be- 
fore he was 20 years of age, and spent three years 
there in teaching. In 1858 he transferred his inter- 
ests to Sanilac Co., Mich., where he remained several 
months. In the spring of r859 he went to Saginaw, 
and in the fall of the same year he made a prospect- 
ing trip to Isabella County. The next spring he 
settled in Union Township, where he has since re- 
sided. His farm was a part of land that came into 
market about two years later, when he entered a 
claim of r6o acres under the provisions of the Home- 
stead Act. The estate now includes 130 acres of 
cleared and improved land. Mr. Brodie now owns 
440 acres of land, located on sections 26, 35 and 36, 
and on the entire tract 180 acres are improved and in 
tillage. 

Mr. Brodie has been a prominent citizen of Isa- 
bella County since he settled within its limits. He 
taught two terms of school in the days of his early 
residence, and has been identified with school mat- 
ters quite extensively, having officiated in school 




offices some years in the locality where he is most 
closely interested. In the fall of 1878 he was nom- 
inated on the Republican ticket for the office of 
County Treasurer, running successfully against Rich- 
ard Hoy. He was again nominated and elected in 
r88o, and held the position altogether four years. 
He has acted as Supervisor of Union Township for 
many years. 

Mr. Brodie was married at St. Louis, Mich., May 
12, 1866, to Jennie E., daughter of Samuel and 
Grace (Craig) McLeod. She was born Jan. r5, r844, 
in the city of Auburn, N. Y.; Lillie, the eldest child, 
was born Feb. 10, 1868, in Lincoln Township. The 
three other children were born as follows, on the 
homestead: Hugh, July 12, 1S70; Grace, Dec. 28, 
1876 ; Jessie, Nov. i, 1881. 

In i86r the parents of Mr. Brodie came to Union 
Township, where his father died, in June, 1872. The 
mother is living, in a small house built expressly for 
her use and independent comfort, on her son's farm. 
The father of Mrs. Brodie removed from Shiawassee 
County to what is now Lincoln Township, in Isabella 
County, in 1862, and entered a claim of 160 acres 
of land. The mother died there in 1869. The 
father was killed in the lumber woods, in 1864. 

Upon a page in proximity to this sketch is given a 
fine lithographic portrait of Mr. Brodie, as a worthy 
and prominent citizen of Isabella County. 



P obert Laughlin, conductor on the Sag- 
inaw ^- Mt. Pleasant branch of the Flint 
& Pere Marquette Railroad, and residing 
,.,. at Mt. Pleasant, was born May 2, r83o, in 
<d Henrietta, Monroe Co., N. Y. His father, 
Robert Laughlin, was born in r785,in Ireland, 
spent his life in the pursuit of agriculture and died at 
Henrietta, at the age of 58 years. His mother, Eliz- 
abeth (Kincaid) Laughlin, was also born in Ireland, 
in 17871 and died at Dunkirk, N. Y., in 1863. 

Mr. Laughlin was the ninth often children born to 
his parents, and was reared on a farm. At the age 
of 20 years he left home and engaged as a brakeman 
on the New York & Erie Railroad, where he was 
employed from 1850 to 1865. He operated as a 
brakeman eight months, when he was promoted to 




VS 



I 






ro) 



'^■: 



^^^^^ — ^T^^^D !i .^: nn^^^T^ — ^^^^ 



^ 2T2 



-zs^^fer 



Ty 



v<^no•^llfl^>T 



-^#J^5f 






;^5 



^ 

1 



V 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



the position of conductor, in which capacity he oper- 
ated four years. He then became a fireman, and, 
after serving in that position 15 months, he became 
an engineer. During the last 18 months of his stay 
in his native State, he acted as Secretary of the 
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. 

He came to Ionia, Mich., in 1865, vk^here he pur- 
chased an interest in the mercantile establishment 
of Peter Hackett, in which he continued one year. 
At the expiration of that date, he engaged in the 
furniture trade, in which he operated alone one year. 
In 1867 he accepted a position as conductor on the 
Ionia & Lansing Railroad, in which capacity he 
officiated a few months, when he was appointed 
Superintendent and Master Mechanic of the railroad. 
Two years later, after the consolidation of the road 
with the Detroit, Lansing & Northern, he was ap- 
pointed Assistant Cieneral Superintendent and Master 
Mechanic. He resigned the position at the expira- 
tion of 30 days, and became an engineer on the 
Ft. Wayne & Jackson Railroad. He continued in 
that employment one year, and went to Greenville, 
Montcalm Co., and took charge of the Grand Rapids, 
Greenville & Alpena Railroad. The affairs of the 
line were brought to a lerinination by the failure of 
the owners of the road six months after his appoint- 
ment, and he entered the employtrient of the Chicago 
& Lake Huron Railroad, as conductor. He spent 
two months in managing freight trains, after which 
he was a passenger conductor. The road became 
merged in the Chicago & Grand Trunk, and he 
remained in its service until October, 1880, when he 
entered the employment of the Flint & Pere Mar- 
quette Railroad Company, as a conductor on its 
Eastern Division. He ran a freight train about six 
weeks, when he took charge of a passenger train and 
has since continued in that position. 

In the spring of 1881, he removed his residence to 
Mt. Pleasant. He is a member of the Conductors' 
Insurance Association, and is prominent in Masonic 
circles. He has been connected with the order since 
he reached the period of his legal freedom. He has 
taken several degrees and is High Priest of Mt. 
Pleasant Chapter, No. iii, Royal Arch Masons. He 
was chiefly instrumental in the organization of that 
branch of the Order at Mt. Pleasant, in the spring of 
1883, and it was instituted Feb. 4, 1884. 

On the loth of March, 1884, Mr. Laughlin wag 




^ 




elected President of the village of Mt. Pleasant, on 
the Democratic ticket. He owns his residence and 
grounds, and another lot, where he intends to build a 
dwelling; is also the owner of three building lots in 
the city of Grand Rapids. 

His marriage with Mary McDonald occurred Oct. 
15, 1854, in Greenwood, Steuben Co., N. Y. She was 
born Aug. 15, 1834, in Ireland, and is a daughter of 
Joseph and Bridget McDonald. 



eorge W. Touts, farmer, section 13, Lin- 
\ coin Township, is a native of the Stale of 
Ohio, where, in Carroll County, he was born, 
Feb. 22, 1846. His parents were George and 
Eleanor (Hemming) Fouts, natives of Ohio ( ^> 
and Pennsylvania respectively, and of German and ^ ' 
English extraction. The father followed the trade of /S 
a mechanic, and died in Ohio, in 1875, aged 63 years. = 
The mother is still living, and resides in Carroll Co., ^ 
Ohio, and has attained the venerable age of 68 years. = 
George W. lived on the farm and assisted in the 
maintenance of the family until he attained the age ^ 
of 15 years. 

At this age of his life the Nation called on her sons 
to protect her flag from rebel shot and shell, and Mr. 
F. went forth to fight for its perjjetuity. He enlisted 
in Co. A, 80th Ohio Vol. Inf , and his company was 
assigned to the Army of the Tennessee. His corps 
was known as one of " the Bloody i sth," commanded 
by Gen. Logan. 

Mr. F. was at once placed in the " drummer 
corps " as tenor drummer, which position he occu- 
pied for three years. He was in all the active en- 
gagements of the company during its service in the 
Army of the Cumberland. Together with the rest 
of the musical corps, Mr. F. was detailed as 
" stretcher bearer," which threw hini in many dan 



V/ 



gers. 



r 



After serving in the army for nearly three years, 
he was discharged, and thereupon immediately re- 
enlisted for the remainder of the war. After the 
close of the great contest, Aug. 14, 1865, Mr. F. was 
honorably discharged after an active and continual (iy 
service of three years and ten months. , -^ 






:i'V^))«^#*K 



;^: w-y^ — ^^^^ 



m 






^ 



■6V<'il]tl^Illl>^'r 



"Z^HsirS" 



^>>^f®^41 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



213 



After his discharge from the service, Mr. F. imme- 
diately returned to his home, that of his parents, in 
Wayne Co., Ohio, where he remained until the fall 
of 1867, when he came to this State. He located in 
this county and engaged in working in a mill. He 
followed this occupation for some time and then pur- 
chased an interest in the mill and remained as one 
of the firm for three years. At the expiration of this 
time he began farming for his father-in-law, which he 
continued for a period and then purchased 40 acres 
of land on section 13, Lincoln Township, where he 
has constantly resided ever since. 

Mr. F. was united in marriage, Sept. 14, 1869, in 
Coe Township, this county, with Miss Mary E. Estee, 
who was born in Chautauqua Co., N. Y.,Sept. 6, 1851. 
She was the daughter of Perry H. and Carrie E. 
(Dole) Estee, whose biography may be found in this 
work. 

Mrs. F. came witli her parents to this State and 
county and remained under the parental care until 
her marriage. She attended the " log-cabin school " 
at Salt River when six years of age, and, in company 
with her brother, seven years old, walked two miles 
to obtain this privilege. Later she attended the union 
schools at Mt. Pleasant, and there, together with oc- 
cupying her leisure moments in study, she acquired 
a good education. 

One child has been born to the union of Mr. and 
Mrs. F., namely. Free L., Feb. 28, 1875. Mr. F. is 
at present Justice of the Peace. He is a member of 
the L O. O. F., Lodge 239, of Salt River, and of the 
G. A. R , of the same place. 

Politically, he is a believer in and supporter of the 
principles and doctrines of the Republican i)arty. 



rthur B. Caldwell, farmer, section 12, Fre- 
mont Township, is a son of James C. and 
Nancy R. (Russell) Caldwell, the former born 
in Massachusetts in 1824, and the latter in 
New York in 1829, and died in this county, in 
August, 1867. In this State they first lived in 
Macomb County, then Clinton County, then located 
on section 12, Fremont Township, this county, where 
' the subject of this sketch still resides. Mr. J. C. 
/• Caldwell has followed farming and himbering since 



/N 



X 
) 







coming to Isabella. On the above place he improved 
100 acres, and added two lots, of 45 and 35}^ acres. 
He finally sold this farm, and he now lives at Two 
Rivers, Deerfield Township, this county. 

.\rthur B. was born Nov. 8, 1849, in Macomb Co., 
Mich., lived at home with his parents until of age, 
and at the age of 25 married Miss Mary E. Preston, 
who was born Dec. 15, 1852, in VVyoming Co., N. Y. 
She is a daughter of Albert A. and Martha (Nichols) 
Preston. Mr. P., a farmer, moved with his family 
from New York State to Wisconsinin 1854, returning 
in a short time to New York, and in 1863 came and 
settled on a quarter-section in Lincoln Township; 
but since the autumn of 1882 he has resided at Mt. 
Pleasant. 

Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell have had three children, 
as follows: Lillian M., born Oct. 31, 1875, died Dec. 
31, 1877 ; Geneva M., liorn June 5, 1878; and Alice 
M., Oct. 10, 1881. 

In regard to national issues Mr. C. votes with the 
Pepublican party. 



v_ 



/N 



e< 



|HI4 W. Carr, junior member of the firm of Carr 

IJ C & Granger, merchants at Mt. Pleasant, 

^ "'^ was born June 15, 1848, at Prairieville, 

P Barry Co., Mich. He is the son of David O. 

>^^ and Chloe M. (Granger) Carr. His father was a 

i hotel-keeper and lumberman, and removed 

from the State of New York to Michigan in 1836. 

Mr. Carr was but a small boy when his parents re- 
moved to Charlotte, Eaton Co., Mich., where he at- 
tended the common schools until he was 16 years 
old; and then he was sent to Bryant & Stratton's 
Business College at Detroit. After finishing a com- 
plete commercial course, he went to Grand Ledge, 
Eaton County, and there formed one of the partner- 
ship of Babcock & Carr in the sale of drugs. The 
relation existed until 1870, when Mr. Carr sold his 
moiety to his partner and opened an exchange bank, 
which he conducted one year. 

In 1871 he came to Mt. Pleasant and bought out 
Worden & Gavett, druggists. Mr. Granger was ad- 
mitted to an interest in the business soon after and 
the partnership has since remained intact. The firm 
is the oldest unchanged business connection in the 



<r:' 



s 






M^/®>)^<#" :^^^ 6V<4DIl:^lin^1>v% ^^^&^ -1^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



I 
f 



1 



(qN 



town, and, it is supposed, in the county. They are 
the oldest liquor dealers in Isabella County, and 
handle also groceries, drugs, books, stationery, paints, 
oils, etc., and carry a stock which is estimated to 
represent $35,000. They employ five assistants. 
Messrs. Carr& Granger transacted their business 
six years at a location on the north side of Broadway, 
which is now occupied as a furniture store. They 
were burned out Aug. 5, 1875, rebuilt at once, and in 
30 days were in running order. Their loss by the 
fire was about $5,000. In 1877 they built the fine 
brick block in which their business is now established. 
The building faces on Broadway and Main Street, 
and is constructed in the shape of .an L, 175 feet 
long. The wing is two stories in height, and the 
main portion is three stories high above the base- 
ments. The proprietors occupy the entire structure 
with the exception of one room, which is used for 
an office. They own three lots on Broadway, known 
as the Wm. N. Harris property. Mr. Carr is 
the owner of his residence and grounds. His 
marriage to Annie, daughter of Alexander Hapner, 
occurred May 11, 1873, at Mt. Pleasant, the ceremony 
being performed by G. VV. Gosling. Mrs. Carr is a 
native of Indiana. Bessie, only child of Mr. and 
Mrs. Carr, was born at Mt. Pleasant, Sept. 7, 1875. 



=£i- 



j^harles Demlow, farmer, section 29, Fre- 
1 ^^ ^ mont Township, is a son of John and 
Sophia (Canford) Demlow, natives of Prussia, 
'S^ who came to New York State in 1863, locating 
on a farm. Mr. D. is yet living in Erie Co., 
N. Y., but his wife died in 1873, in that county. 
They had three sons and four daughters: one of the 
former is deceased, and all the living except one are 
married. 

The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was 
born March 12, 1846, in Prussia, came with his par- 
ents to America, lived at home with them on a farm 
until 18 years of age, and in the fall of 1877 came to 
Muskegon County, this State, remaining there four 
years. He then settled on his present place of 120 
acres, 20 of which are well improved. He has a 
comfortable house, and in 1883 he erected a large 





and commodious barn. In regard to political issues 
Mr. D. is counted a Democrat. 

Nov. 19, 1869, Mr. Demlow married Miss Minnie, 
daughter of Charles and Sophia Hillman : the former 
died in New York and the latter in Michigan. She 
was born in Michelburg, Prussia. Mr. and Mrs. D. 
are the parents of six children, viz. : Charlie, Will- 
iam, Emma, Mary, George and Edward. 



if^v®))f^<i« 



-sj^^jfsi i^^y^s]\ O ^ i|i|;>v^, 



edam Hance, farmer, section 23, Lincoln 
ii^^M Township, was born in Licking Co , Ohio, 
ye^ Feb. 3, 1825. His parents were Thomas and 
(fe^ Polly, /lee Douglas, Hance, the former a native 
j of New York and of German descent, and the 
latter a native of Scotland. The name Hance, as 
spelled by our subject, is a patronymic of Hause, as 
it was spelled by the father of Thomas. 

The father of Adam was a farmer by occupation, 
and moved his family from New York to Licking Co., 
Ohio, in 1817 When he first went to th;t county it 
was but little settled, and the hand of improvement 
was hardly visible. He remained there for some 
time and then moved to Knox County, same State, 
and then went to Morrow (then Delaware) County 
and lived there until his death, in 1879, being at that 
time in his 92d year. 

Adam was three years of age when his parents 
went to Morrow (Delaware) County, and spent his 
years until manhood in that county. He assisted his 
father on the farm and attended the common schools 
of the county, procuring a good common-school edu- 
cation and developed into manhood. When 22 years 
of age he engaged with his father in the mercantile 
business, and successfully continued in the partner- 
ship for two years. At the expiration of that time 
he and his brother, jointly, followed farming on the 
old homestead, and so continued until 1865. 

During the above named year, Mr. Hance dis- 
posed of all liis real estate and came to this State. 
He came direct to this county and purchased 640 
acres of heavily timbered land, on sections 23 and 
24, Lincoln Township. On this land he established 
his " pioneer cabin," and entered on the arduous, 
though in many respects pleasant, task of improving 
it. He encountered all the privations and obstacles 



VS 



(^ 



i< 






fr 



t 



m 




TSA BELLA COUNTY. 



2'S 



=3 



V 

s. 



^ 






of the early pioneer, but, having faith in the future 
development of the country, he fought against all 
obstacles with a determination to overcome them, and 
succeeded. To his original purchase Mr. Hance has 
added 240 acres, on section 25, same township, and 
of his entire estate he has 200 acres under good 
cultivation. 

Mr. Hance was united in marriage, in September, 
1838, in Ohio, with Miss Mary Morrison, who was 
born in Licking Co., Ohio. She was of English and 
Welsh extraction, and was reared under the parental 
roof-tree, receiving the advantages afforded by the 
common schools of her native county. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hance were the parents of six chil- 
dren, named as follows : Albert W., born Oct. 8, 1841 ; 
Henry M., born Nov. 1 1, 1843 ; John W., born Aug. 
2, 1849; David W.,born Dec. 10, 1852; Sam'l. W., 
born Feb. 2, 1856; and Phebe, born Nov. 30, 1854, 
and died Sept. 29, 1872. 

Mrs. Hance departed this life at her home in Lin- 
coln Township, Nov. 6, 1881, mourned as a true wife, 
a loving mother, a faithful friend and a generous 
neighbor. She lived to see all her children estab- 
lished in good homes and honorable callings, and 
" crossed the river " to meet her daughter gone before. 
Religiously, Mrs. Hance was a Spiritualist. In the 
maidenhood of life she was a member of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church, but later in life became a be- 
liever in Spiritualism and was strong in that faith at 
the time of her death. 

Mr. Hance is a Republican in politics; has held 
the offices of his school district, but outside of edu- 
cational matters withholds his acceptation of office. 
He takes a great interest in education, and is an 
honored and respected citizen of his township. 




eorge Earl, farmer, section 19, Fremont 
. Township, is a son of Daniel and Elizabetli 
(Little) Earl, natives of Ohio. The former was 
born in 1802, was a blacksmith by tr;ide, lived 
in Sandusky County most of his life, and died 
in 1883 ; was a farmer in the latter part of his 
The latter died in 1872. 
The subject of this biographical notice was born 
March 20, 1834, in Columbiana Co., O. ; remained at 



home until he was 20 years old, assisting on the farm. 
He was then variously occupied until 24 years of age, 
residing two and a half years in Muskegon Co., Mich., 
then seven years in Ohio, and finally, in 1865, he 
settled at his present place of residence, on 80 acres 
of primitive woodland. Half of this is on section 19, 
and half on section i S. Twenty-five acres of this 
tract is now subdued to the plow, and corresponding 
improvements of every kind made or placed under 
headway. In the spring of 1S83 he built a neat 
residence. 

Mr. Earl has served his scliool district one term in 
an official capacity. In respect to national and State 
questions he votes with the Democratic party. 

At the age of 21 Mr. Earl married Miss Margaret 
M., daughter of Leonard and Maria Smith. She was 
born Oct. 28, 1835, in Sandusky Co., Ohio. Her 
father, a farmer, was born in Scotland, and her 
mother was liorn May 28, 1814, and died March 24, 

1837- 

The household of Mr. and Mrs. Earl have com- 
prised the following children : George H., born April 
4, 1858, and died Feb. 13, i860; Ida R., born Sept. 
20, 1862, and died March 2, 1864; and Leonard L., 
born July 19, 187 i. 



'aeob Kratz, farmer and stock-raiser, sec- 
tion 12, Lincoln Township, was born in 
Wayne Co., Ohio, Feb. 7, 1855. When 
nine years old he went to live with his relatives, 
and remained with them until he had attained 
the age of 15. He then followed the occupa- 
tion of farming, working as a common laborer on the 
farms in the county of his nativity, until 1876. 

March i, 1876, he was united in marriage with 
Acelia Kindig, a native of Medina Co., Ohio, where 
she was born Aug. 7, 1856. Mrs. Kratz remained 
under her parental care, assisting in the houseliold 
duties until she attained the age of i6, when she en- 
tered on the profession of teaching. She continued 
to occupy her time teaching in the common schools 
of her native county until she was married to Mr. 
K. After marriage Mr. K. rented a farm and follow- 
ed his chosen occupation for two years. 

In March, 1878, they came to this State and county 




\^ 



9 

S 

i 

S 



K/ 



(i 



11. 



;^-t^ 



^M- 
^ 




-^J^^-cs 



■rr 



*7<^nii:^nDf> 



^ 






'4x27-'^ 



Ksv)^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



t 



and settled on 80 acres of land :on section 12, Lin- 
coln Township, which Mr. K. had purchased in 1875. 
This land was in a wild state of nature, and earn- 
estly and energetically did our subject enter on the 
laborious though at times pleasant task of clearing 
and improving it. He now has about 50 acres of this 
land well improved, and erected thereon good and 
substantial farm buildings. 

Mr. Kratz is devoting a considerable portion of his 
time to the propagation of stock, and is handling the 
Percheron breed of horses with signal success. He 
has one horse of this breed valued at $1,000. 

The husband and wife are both members of the 
Regular Baptist Church, in good standing. They are 
the parents of three children: Anna M., born in 
Wayne Co., Ohio, Jan. i, 1878; Harvey D., born in 
this county, Sept. 27, 1879 ; and a child, who died in 
infancy. 

Politically, Mr. K. is a believer in and supporter of 
the principles and doctrines of the Republican party. 



'k 




.'acob Baker, fanner, section 14, Fremont 
W: Township, is a son of Josiah and Rachel 
A. (English) Baker, the former a native of 
Maryland, and the latter of Licking Co., Ohio, 
^r^ Mr. Josiah Baker, a farmer, was first a resident 
\ in Defiance Co., Ohio, then four years in Hills- 
dale Co., Mich., then a few years in Ingham County, 
two years in Eaton County, and then located on sec- 
tion ten, Fremont Township, this county ; next he 
occupied section 15, of that township, and finally he 
purchased 40 acres on section 22, where he now 
lives. His wife died Dec. 27, 1863, in Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Licking 
Co., Ohio, Feb. 25, 1848, and came to this county 
with his parents, remaining with them until he was 
22 years of age. In 1872 he bought 80 acres of sec- 
tion 14, Fremont Township, which tract was then 
principally unimproved ; he now has 50 acres in good 
cultivation, with other substantial improvements. 
His nice barn was built in the summer of 1 883. 
Mr. Baker has held the office of School Treasurer, 
and was elected Township Treasurer in 1883. 

March 21, 1872, Mr. Baker was married to Jerusha 
E. Heiser, daughter of Peter and Rebecca (Trine) 




Heiser, natives of Maryland, Mr. H. was a mason 
and farmer; is now living ui Eaton County, this 
State. Mrs. Baker was born in that county, Sept. 29, 
1853: The children of Mr. and Mrs. H. are: Nor- 
man J., born July 25, 1875; and Orville J., Aug. 3, 
.879. 



I eter F. Dodds, attorney at Mt. Pleasant, 
and member of the law firm of Dodds Bros., 
,^ was born Jan. 4, 1849, in St. Lawrence 

ill ^*^' '^^ ^' ^'^ parents, John and Catharine 
|\ (Hoy) Dodds, came to Coe Township, Isabella 
County, in 1866, where they resided until in 1875, 
then moved to Mt. Pleasant, at which place the 
father died, Dec. 3, 1879. The mother is still living. 

Mr. Dodds was 17 years old when he accompanied 
his parents to Isabella County, and two years later 
he began teaching, in which calling he has had a 
large experience, covering 57 months in the aggre- 
gate, from 1868 to October, 1874. He studied mean- 
while and was graduated in the " Full English 
Course," in the State Normal School at Ypsilanti, in 
June, 1874. 

He studied one term in the Law Department of 
the University at of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in 1875, 
as supplementary to a course of law reading, which 
he had passed while engaged in teaching, and in the 
fall of 1875 was admitted to the Bar, at Ithaca, 
Mich., immediately after which event he formed a 
partnership, for the prosecution of legal business 
with Hon. Isaac A. Fanchcr, who was at that time in 
active practice, a talented lawyer and at the head of 
the Isabella County Bar. D. Scott Partridge became 
a member of the firm April 5, 1878, which relation 
e.\isted until Aug. i, 1879. Francis H. Dodds, a 
brother, was admitted to the firm in April, 1880, and 
Mr. Fancher withdrew and moved to Detroit, Jan. 6, 
1S82. Soon after this, George E, Dodds, also a 
brother, entered the firm, and William I. Dodds, an- 
other brother, was admitted into the concern in Jan- 
uary, 1883. 

In the fall of 1880, Mr. Dodds was elected Prose- 
cuting Attorney of Isabella County, and served one 
term. He is now a member of the County Board of 
School Examiners ; is prominent in Masonic circles, 
being a member of Wabon Lodge, No. 305, and of 



% 
t 



/s 






^V®))^^!^' 



■^•^DD^tlllf^*^ ^<?^^ 



r 






m 



w^ 



lr#» 



^^^ — o-v<>im^iiii^>T- 



■:2^ciM;-' 






^ 






5§ 



V 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



217 



Mt. Pleasant Chapter, No. in, R. A. M., of Mt. 

Pleasant. 

In June, 1.SS2, having pursued his studies under 
the direction of the faculty of Olivet ("ollege, he re- 
ceived from said college the degree of Bachelor of 
Arts, of which school his brother, Francis H. FJodds, 
and his sister, Harmione H. Dodds, are also grad- 
uates. 

He was married, April 20, 1876, at Mt. Pleasant, 
to Minnie E., daughter of Henry 8. and Cornelia 
A. Bouten. She was born March 12, 1859, in Homer, 
Calhoun C"o., Mich. 



•naasw/t^^—^^ 




-^gfS/Z'OTTv 



^^W ®o**S® W- Simpson, farmer, section i, Lin- 
(\) -ijjlift^^ '^^''^ Township, was born in Crown Point, 
V-w^ N. v., April II, 184S, the son of Thomas and 
'i* Aurelia (Lawrence) Simpson, natives of Scot- 
f land and Vermont. When five years of age 
he accompanied his parents to Cattaraugus County, 
same State, and two years later came with them to 
this State. They located in Oakland County, at a 
time when the hand of improvement was hardly vis- 
ible in the vicinity in which they settled. It was in 
1855, and the county was at that time but little set- 
tled. The old Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad had its 
flat-bar rails and the development of the county was 
in its infancy. 

Mr. Simpson remained with his parents, assisting 
on the farm and attending the common schools of the 
county, until he attained the age of 17 years. At 
this age he began to learn the carpenter and joiner's 
trade, and after three years' apprenticeship under a 
competent instructor, he mastered the same. He 
then followed his trade, in that county, until 1873, 
when he went to Big Rapids, and remained for a 
period, and then to Ludington, Mason County, this 
State. He remained at Ludington until February, 
187s, when he went to California, intending to follow 
his trade; but remained only a short time and then 
went to Oregon. He was in the latter State two 
years and then returned to this State and county and 
located on 60 acres of land on section i, Lincoln 
Township, which he had purchased in 1879, and on 
which he is at the present time residing. He has 25 



acres of this land well improved and has erected on 
it a fine frame cottage. 

Mr. Simpson was united in marriage, Nov. 10, 1880, 
with Miss Julia A. Stocker, at Metamora, Lapeer 
County, this State. She is a daughter of Dennis 
and Laura A. (Varnum) Stocker, and was born in 
Metamora, Dec. 17, 1855. She lived at hon.e, as- 
sisted the mother in the household duties and 
attended the common schools. Early in life she 
formed a desire to become a teacher, and vigorously 
prosecuted her studies to accomplish that end, and 
completed the same at 0.\ford, Oakland County. In 
the summer of 1871, at the age of 18 years, she be- 
gan teaching in Lapeer County, then in Genesee, 
Clinton and Oakland Counties, meeting with success 
in every school and receiving numerous encomiums 
for her skill and mode of teaching. She continued 
in the profession until her marriage, as stated. 

Mr. and Mrs. Simpson are the parents of one child, 
Linnie Ray, born Sept. 11, 1882. Mrs. Simpson is 
connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
He is a member of the F. & A. M., Lodge No. 44, 
Birmingham, Oakland County, and in j>olitics is a 
Democrat. 



^ 



< 



^ 



|WlLavid W. Hance, farmer, section 23, Lin- 
gual coin Township, is a son of Adam and 
'(iiV ^ Mary E. (Morrison) Hance (see sketch), 
^^"14 and was born in Morrow Co., Ohio, Dec. 10, 
^ 1^52. He accompanied his parents to this 



^^ 



\ State in 1862, and returned again the same 

year to Ohio, where he remained, variously occupied 
until the fall of 1865. He then came to this county t( 
and has constantly resided here ever since. His 
abode was the home of his parents, and there he 
lived and assisted in the improvement of the farm. 
Jan. 8, 1876, at St. Louis, Gratiot Co., Mich., he 
was united in marriage with Mrs. Etta («cc Sherman) 
Utley. She was the daughter of Jacob and Mary f^ 
E. (King) Sherman. Her foster parents were An- y 

roc k 



m 



drew J. and Martha E. (Hance) Utley. Etta was 
born Oct. 9, 1858, in Iowa, and was four years of age 
when she was adopted by the family of Mr. I'tley, 
who were then living in Kno.x Co., Ind. The family 
moved from Knox County to Ohio, and then to Si. 
L,ouis, this State, where she lived until her jjiarrifige 



DtI5^(ltl^>^ 



^^m^^^^ 



) X'^ ^ 



r^d^^^is- 



■v4>DD^DDrt> 



ip^rr^ 



-•^^•♦^iJA 



d 



iO, 






/^ 



f 

> 



t 



2l8 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



to Mr. Hance. Following are the children of Mr. 
and Mrs. Hance: Morrison U., born Jan. 15, 1878; 
Blanche and John W. (twins), born June 23, 1881. 
In politics Mr. Hance is a staunch Republican. 




eorge W. Foglesong, farnner, section 14, 
?"reiTiont Township, is a son of George and 
and Mary A. (Cromer) Foglesong. The 
father was born in Frederick Co., Md.,and the 
mother in Virginia. The father followed the 
occupation of farming for a livelihood in his 
native State for a period, and then moved to Seneca 
Co., Ohio, where he located and followed the same 
vocation for a period of 28 years. From Ohio he 
came to Gratiot County, this State, in 1862, and 
located in Pine River Township, on a farm. The 
mother died in May, 1853, in Seneca Co., Ohio, and 
the father was again married, and on removal to this 
State died, in the year 1867. His widow is again 
married and lives in Pine River Township, Gratiot 
County. 

George W. Foglesong, the subject of this biograph- 
ical notice, was born Nov. 14, 1 841, in Hopewell 
Township, Seneca Co., Ohio. He remained at home, 
assisting on the farm and receiving the advantages 
afforded by the common schools of the county, and 
developed into manhood. At the age of 22 years he 
responded to the call of President Lincoln for troops, 
and enlisted in Co. K, 21st Mich. Vol. Inf., Second 
Div., i4lh Army Corps, under Gen. Sherman's com- 
mand. The regiment was detached and assigned to 
the Engineer Corps. They built a bridge across the 
Tennessee River and constructed the barracks on 
Lookout Mountain. They were then placed in the 
field and were engaged in the battle against Hood 
at Nashville and also the battle of Goldsboro, N. ('., 
and other minor engagements. He was finally dis- 
charged at Washington, D. C, in August, 1865. 

Immediately after his discharge, Mr. Foglesong 
came to this State and settled with his parents in 
Gratiot County. In 1867 he was united in marriage 
to the lady of his choice, Mrs. Susannah Jordan, 
daughter of Thomas and Catharine (Creps) Jordan. 
She was born May 10, 1840. The father was a me- 




chanic and lived in Seneca Co., Ohio. Mrs. Fogle- 
song was born in the State of Virginia. 

In 1863 Mr. F. came to this county and secured 
160 acres of land on section 14, Fremont, and April 
19, 1866, moved on the same and entered on the 
task of improving it, determined to make it a perma- 
nent home for himself and family. He has at the 
present time about 80 acres of the land under a good 
state of cultivation and has erected thereon one of 
the best brick residences in the county, at a cost so 
far of $2,000, and which will finally cost about 
$3,000. 

Mr. and Mrs. Foglesong are the parents of three 
children, namely : Nettie V., Ward F., and Henry 
N. Mrs. F. had two children by her first marriage, — 
Margaret A. E. and Matilda E. J. Politically, Mr. 
Y . is a Republican, and in religion he and wife are 
both members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



ohn Wagner, farmer, section 14, Lincoln 
Township, is a native of the State of Ohio, 
where, in the county of Seneca, he was 
born, Nov. 13, 1835. 

He lived on the parental homestead, assist- 
ing in the maintenance of the family and at- 
tending the common schools of the vicinity, until he 
attained the age of 23 years. At this age in life, he 
took the old homestead and farmed it on shares. He 
was successful in this adventure and continued to 
farm the place on shares for some three years. 

April 5, 1850, he was united in marriage to Miss 
Martha E. Shoe, in Tiffin, Seneca Co., Ohio. She 
was a native of Wood County, same State, and was 
born Aug. 13, 1841. She lived at home, assisting in 
the labors of the household and receiving the ad- 
vantages afforded by the common schools, until her 
marriage. 

.■\fter working the old homestead of his parents, 
Mr. W. moved to Wood Co., Ohio, and purchased an 
80-acre farm of his own, which he continued to cul- 
tivate for a period of 12 years. He then rented his 
farm on shares, and in 1878 built a grist-mill at Ris- 
ing Sun, Ohio, which he successfully ran until f larch, 
188 1, when he sold the same and came lo this State. 







^ 



I 

1= 



t 



i 



^:iini>v 



o. 



-s^^^^f^ 



4»t^<? 





%^^ ^^^^ 



■i«s«<®vii 



1 






(^ 



I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



223 



On his arrival he purchased 40 acres of land on 
section 14, Lincoln Township, this county, and on 
which he has continuously resided. Mr. W. has 
made considerable improvement on his farm and his 
prospects for the future are unclouded. 

Mr. and Mrs. W. are the parents of three children, 
namely: Henry A., born Jan. 26, 1861; Amanda 
A., born Dec. 24, 1862, and Sarah I., born Nov. 18, 
1868. Henry A. married Miss Elba J. Swigard and 
is now residing in Sandusky Co., Ohio. Amanda A. 
married Arthur H. Rowlader, and is living in Lincoln 
Township, this county. 

Mr. and Mrs. W. are members of the United 
Brethren Church, and Mr. W. is Class Steward and 
Circuit Secretary in that denomination. 

Politically, Mr. W. is an adherent to the principles 
of the Republican party. 




Ibert B. Upton, lumberman, resident at 
Mt. Pleasant, and member of the firm of 

^' Leaton & Upton, lumber manufacturers, 
was born Dec. 7, 1853, in Franklin Co., Mass. 
i'L His parents, Josiah and Nancy (Woodbury) 
' Upton, removed to Michigan in 1855, where 
his father became the proprietor of 1,000 acres of 
land, in Victor Township, Clinton County. After a 
residence there of 15 years the family removed to 
St. John's in the same county. 

Mr. Upton acquired a substantial elementary edu- 
cation at the common schools, and at the age of 15 
he became a student at Olivet College, where he 
spent four years pursuing a classical course of study. 
On his return to St. John's he became a book-keeper 
in the First National Bank, where he officiated two 
years. In 1876 he came to Mt. Pleasant as mana- 
ger of the banking house of Hicks, Bennett & Co., 
of which he was a member. He is still connected 
with the institution and remained its manager until 
Jan. 1, 1884, when he resigned his active connection 
therewith, to devote his undivided attention to his 
lumber interests, which where assuming extended 
proportions. On coming to Mt. Pleasant, he asso- 
ciated L E. Arnold with himself in the lumber busi- 
ness, under the firm style of Arnold & Upton. Later, 
the relation was changed to Pickard & Upton, and 
afterwards to its present style of Leaton & Upton. 



The house own an extensive mill in the west part cf 
the town, and they employ a working force of 75 
men or more, from which the extent of their manu- 
facturing interests may be estimated. They own 
large tracts of timber land, located principally in 
Midland, Gratiot and Isabella Counties, aggregating 
about 15,000 acres. 

An important item in the catalogue of private 
property belonging to Mr. Upton is a fine stock farm 
of 2,500 acres on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 
Railroad, in the Republican Valley, in the State of 
Nebraska. On this he has expended about $50,000 
and devotes the entire tract to the rearing of stock, 
including horses and cattle. He employs about a 
dozen assistants, and his herd comprises commonly 
an average of between five and six hundred head of 
cattle. He owns from 40 to 60 horses and makes a 
specialty of rearing the Norman breed. He owns an 
interest in the building occupied by the banking firm 
of Hicks, Bennett & Co., and also his residence with 
five lots attached. Mr. Upton has served several 
terms as Village Treasurer and aided with his means 
and influence in the progress and advancement ot 
Mt. Pleasant. 

He was married Sept. 21, 1S76, at Niagara Falls, 
N. Y., to Miss Mell Denison, daughter of Jared C. 
and Fannie Denison. She was born Jan. 20, 1858, 
Ovid Township, Clinton Co., Mich., where her par- 
ents now reside. Julia, elder daughter, was born 
Dec. 14, 1880; Stella was born Oct. 12, 1883, and 
named for Mrs. Leaton, wife of the business partner 
of Mr. Upton. The family are members of the Uni- 
tarian Church, in whose behalf Mr. Upton has ex- 
ercised an active and substantial influence, having 
been largely instrumental in building the place of 
worship at Mt. Pleasant. The portraits of Mr. and 
Mrs. Upton are presented on pages 220 and 221. 




illiam W. Dush, dealer in general mer- 
^Ma chandise and Postmaster at Dushville, is 
'p a son of William and Hannah (Todd) 
Dush, natives of Ohio. His father was born 
Oct. 10, 18 10, followed farming, lived 14 
years in this Stale, and died in Licking Co., Ohio, in 
July, 1880. His mother died in 1852, in Defiance 
Co., Ohio. 

The subject of this sketch was born Sept. 11, 1850 



<^ 






CI 



r^ 






.:ss^^^ 



?c^^ 




®)5«^#»- 



'-^'^i!s&^ 



-TT-T- 



C:DI]:^I1I]>> 



vrr 



-^ji^^l^iis; 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 




^ 






^ 



in Defiance Co., Ohio. At the age of i8 he com- 
menced working in the lumber woods during the 
winter season and improving his farm during the 
other seasons. In 1875 he located on 40 acres of 
section 15, Fremont Township; the next year he 
started the village that bears his name, and now has 
about 200 inhabitants. From 1877 to 1879 he ran a 
saw-mill, and was interrupted in this line of business 
by the explosion of a boiler. He was appointed 
Postmaster in the spring of 1882. He is a Republi- 
can in his political views, and is highly esteemed in 
his community as a man of energy, philanthropy and 
a high moral tone. He has done much to build up 
the material interests of the people. He has been 
Highway Commissioner and Constable two terms 
each, and is a member of the I. O. O. F., Lodge No. 
219, at Millbrook. 

Mr. Dush was married in June, 1877, to Miss C. 
A. Ingersoll, daughter of L. W. and Mary E. Inger- 
soll. He has one child living, Herbert E., born Sept. 
9, 1878; and one deceased, Nellie M., who died in 
1 88 1, aged two months. 



oseph Eudler, general farmer, section 22, 
■^ Lincoln Township, was born in Hamilton 
Co., N. Y., April 28, 1834; remained with 
his father on the farm until of age, when for a 
time he alternated between farm labor and 
lumbering; when 30 years of age he came to 
this State and for some time worked as a lumberman 
in Muskegon County, toward the last alternating be- 
tween this State and New York. Lt 1875 he came 
to this county, settling upon 40 acres where he now 
resides, about 25 acres of which he has reduced to a 
good state of cultivation. He has recently erected 
a good residence and a large barn. His good judg- 
ment as a farmer is evinced by a corresponding 
prosperity, which his neighbors recognize. 

He was married in Pennsylvania, and has had one 
son, Martin J., who was born Aug. 25, i860. He 
still makes his home with his father. 

Sept. 3, 1863, Mr. Rudler enlisted in Co. G, 63d 
Pa. Vol. \\\l., of the Army of the Potomac, but Jan. 
22, following, he was discharged on account of sick- 
ness. Sept. 3, 1864, he re-enlisted, in Co. A, 211th 
Pa. Vol. Inf., Army of the Potomac, commanded by 





Capt. E. B. Lee. Nov. 17, following, he was cap- 
tured, while on picket, between the James and Af)- 
pomattox Rivers, and was confined for two weeks in 
that filthy and awful den, Libby prison, and then for 
three months in that not less terrible place, Salisbury 
(N. C.) prison ! then two weeks again at Libby ! 
when he was paroled, which relation he held to the 
close of the war. He was honorably discharged 
July I, 1865. 

On national issues, Mr. R. sides with the Repub- 
licans. 



^ illiam Loomis, farmer on section 22, Ver- 






V> 




5|iL non, is a son of Justin and Eliza (Drake) 
jts^'-i''' " Loomis, natives of Connecticut and Penn- 
",' sylvania, and of German and English de- 
scent. The father died in this county in 

' 1872, at the age of 80, having followed carpen- 
try all his life. The mother is living in Vernon Town- 
ship, aged 62. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Lockport, 
Erie Co., Pa., March 17, 1842, and began to look out 
for his own livelihood at the immature age of ten, by 
working on the canal. Returning home, he at- 
tended the common schools of Erie and Crawford 
Counties, Pa. 

At the age of 19, he enlisted in Co. K, nth Pa. 
Vol. Inf. He was assigned to the Reserve Corps of 
the Army of the Potomac, and was in but one skir- 
mish. He was confined to a hospital for six months, 
and was discharged for disability, Nov. 9, 1S62. 

Returning home, he was married and commenced 
keeping a boarding-house in the lumber woods of Jef- 
ferson Co., Pa. He afterwards followed farming, and 
then spent three years in the oil region, on Oil Creek, 
in Crawford Co., Pa. He was next employed in a 
saw-mill until December, 1870, when he came to 
Isabella and bought 40 acres, where he now lives. 
He has erected suitable farm buildings, and improved 
18 acres. 

He was married in December, 1862, to Miss Annie 
Gibbs, who was born June 24, 1845, in Jefferson Co., 
Pa. Of this marriage seven children have been born, 
four of whom are yet living. Their record is as fol- 
lows: Donna, born May 11, 1864, and married Oct. 
5, 1882, to William H. Archamboult; Myron, born 



A 






r 






m 



&f^H'^- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



425 



) 
/■ 

■'—' 

V 



.1 







Dec. 23, 1865; Harriet, March 2, 1870; Charles, 

«,j July 27, 1878. The deceased are: Florence, born 

0^ Aug. 15, 1868, died June '16, 1869; Minnie, born 

J March 6, 1872, died July 15, 1873; and Emma, born 

($1 April 15, 1877, and died the same day. 

Mr. Loomis is politically a Democrat. He has 
held the office of School Assessor for two terms and 
is the present incumbent. 



\ homas TurnbuU, a genial and obliging 
" mine host," at Dushville, is a son of Will- 
iam and Agnes (Huggen) Turnbull. They 
were natives of Scotland, and emigrated to 
Canada, landing at Quebec in 1830. They 
remained at the latter place for a short period 
and then moved to Toronto, Canada. From Toronto 
the parents moved to Moore Township, Lambton Co., 
Canada, and located on a tract of 100 acres of land, 
on which they are at present residing and on which 
the father follows the occupation of a farmer. 

The subject of our biographical notice, Thomas 
Turnbull, was born Oct. 19, 1836, in Moore Town- 
ship, Lambton Co., Canada. He remained with the 
parents, assisting in the maintenance of the family 
and attending the common schools until 17 years of 
age. At this period of his life he left the parental 
homestead, with the consent of his parents, and 
went forth to fight for prosperity, single-handed and 
alone. He served an apprenticeship at the black- 
smith's trade for three years, then worked as a "jour" 
for three years and more, when he engaged in the 
business for himself. He conducted the business 
with a moderate degree of success for three or four 
years, and then sold it and came to this State. Ar- 
riving in Saginaw, he worked at his trade for some 
three years, when he moved to Midland County, and 
was there engaged for two years. In 1866, Mr. T. 
moved from Midland County to Mt. Pleasant, this 
county, and there worked at his trade until the spring 
of 1874. He then entered the hotel business and 
successfully followed that vocation for a year, when, 
in the spring of 1875, he sold out and went to Lud- 
ington, Mason County, this State, and there was en- 
gaged for a short time only, in the saloon business. 
He sold this the same year (1875) and came to this 
county and located on a farm of 40 acres, which he 



cultivated for three years. Leaving his farm he 
went to Dushville and engaged at his trade, which 
he followed for three years, in partnership with Mr. 
George E. Osborn. The partnership was dissolved 
in February, 1881, and Mr. Turnbull took charge of 
the hotel, which he is conducting. The host and 
hostess are genial and obliging to their guests and 
have made themselves quite a reputation in the bus- 
iness they are conducting. He has also been for 
three years doing an extensive business in the sale 
of agricultural implements. 

Mr. Turnbull was united in marriage, Sept. 24, 
1859, to Miss Anna Grayson, born Jan. 6, 1844, in 
Lambton Co., Canada. She was a daughter of Will- 
iam and Anna (Ardel) Grayson, the former a native 
of Canada, where he died in 1882, and the mother a 
native of the Emerald Isle. 

Mr. and Mrs. Turnbull are the parents of three 
children : Agnes A., Ellen H and Thomas. Mr. 
T., politically, is a Democrat. Socially, he is a mem- 
ber of the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 305, at Mt. 
Pleasant. 



®)«^#»- 



— ^yii^- 



e-^^ngr^: 



ewis C. Griffith, Clerk of Isabella County 
resident at Mt. Pleasant, was born Dec. 26, 
1837, in Wayne Co., Ohio. His parents, 
Nelson and Sarah (Cobler) Griffith, removed in 
1839 to DeKalb Co., Ind., where they reared 
their children on a farm. 
Mr. Griffith obtained a good education at the com- 
mon schools, attending winter terms until he was 18 
years, old and after that he attended the academies 
at Vienna and Newville, Ind., three years, devoting 
the spring and fall seasons to study, and teaching 
winters. He followed teaching as an occupation 
until the outbreak of the civil war. He enlisted Nov. 
12, 1862, in the 23d Battery, Ind. Vols., and par- 
ticipated in all the engagements of the Georgia cam- 
paign. He was in the actions at Lost Mountain, 
Resaca, Dalton, Burns Hickory, Kenesaw Mountain, 
through the engagements of the siege of Atlanta, at 
Columbia, Franklin and Nashville. He enlisted as 
a private, and before his command left Indianapolis 
he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. At Knox- 
ville he was again promoted to the position of Ser- 
geant, and received honorable discharge July 3, 1865, 



V^ 



A 



C< 






r 

i 




(h 



) 



1 
f 



(3^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



T" 



■^af^^^vs: 



\}f at Indianapolis. On his return to DeKalb County, 
'fA he engaged in farming for a time. Within the same 
Cf^ year he came to Isabella County and purchased loo 
acres of land on what is now section 29, Broomfield 
Township, but did not take possession of his property. 
In September, 1866, he brought his wife to Broom- 
field Township, and settled on 80 acres, located on 
section 30. He now owns 160 acres on sections 30 
and 31, and has 80 acres in a fine state of cultiva- 
tion, with excellent buildings, valuable orchards and 
other farm appurtenances of the best order. When 
he became a resident on his present farm it was all 
in heavy timber, and located three-fourths of a mile 
from any thoroughfare. He found himself obliged to 
cut his road thither, and with his ox team he drew 
in a thousand feet of lumber and made a camp of it 
for the shelter of himself and wife until he cleared a 
small patch of ground and erected a log house. In 
this he lived 13 years. 

The organization of the township did not take 
place until 1868, when he was one of the petitioners 
for the accomplishment of that purpose. He was 
elected first Clerk and discharged the duties of the 
place five years in succession. He served as Super- 
visor three terms, as Superintendent of Schools about 
four years, and as Justice of the Peace one term. 
He was nominated on the Republican ticket for the 
office he now holds, in the fall of 1880, and made a 
successful run against E. E. Willie. He was again 
nominated for the same 5X)sition in the fall of 1882, 
and scored another victory. He removed to Mt. 
Pleasant in January, 1881, to take possession of his 
office. In August following his becoming a citizen 
of Mt. Pleasant, he was elected Superintendent of 
Schools of the township. He was elected a member 
of the County Board of Examiners, and is the pres- 
ent Secretary of that body. He is also a member of 
the village School Board. 

In connection with his business as an agriculturist 
and incumbent of successive local official positions, 
he has labored as a minister of the Christian 
Church. He has been an evangelist in Mecosta and 
Isabella Counties, and the aggregate time of his min- 
istry is ten years. He is now preaching regularly in 
Salt River and has been since April, 1883. He has 
^P been a Sunday-school Superintendent in the Presby- 
terian Church. His marriage to Sarah Brown oc- 
curred, Oct. 13, 1 86 1. She was born Jan. 26, 1840, 




in Seneca Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Levi and 
Jane Brown. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith have been the 
parents of nine children, three of whom are deceased. 
They were born and named as follows : Douglass, 
July 26, 1862; Wilbur A., June 30, 1867; Nettie, 
Aug. 29, i86g; Alma, Jan. 24, 187 1; Dessie B., 
June 13, 1873; Hortense M., Oct. 1, 1875; Irving 
L., April 25, 1878; Lena S., Nov. 22, 1880; Bessie, 
Feb. 10, 1884. 



—¥. 



I 




§|^V^^)^f|^ 



eorge F. Goll, general farmer, section 16, 
Lincoln Township, was born in Springfield 
Township, Williams Co., Ohio, Oct. 16, 
1843, his parents being of French ancestry 
and both died in Ohio ; his father, a farmer 
dying in February, 1882, and his mother in 
December, 1861. 

He lived with his parents, laboring as a farm hand 
and attending school, until 18 years old, when he 
enlisted in the 14th Ohio Vol. Inf, Co. E, April 23, 
1861, for the three-months service. Oct. 14, 1862, 
he re-enlisted, this time in the 21st Battery, Light 
Artillery, Ohio Volunteers, Army of the Cumberland, 
and was in several engagements. When Lee sur- 
rendered, the Ohio battery, then at Richmond, was 
ordered to fire a salute, in the execution of which 
order a cannon was prematurely discharged, tearing 
off Mr. GoU's right arm at the wrist and otherwise 
injuring him severely. His arm was amputated four 
inches below the elbow. He was consequently laid 
up in the hospital for nine weeks. He was honora- 
bly discharged June 19, 1865, and returned to his 
home in Williams Co.,. Ohio, where he lay for some 
time before he was able to venture out into business. 

In 1868 he came to Michigan and contracted for 
80 acres on section 16, Lincoln Township, upon 
which he moved the next year. It was then entirely 
wild, and he improved 35 acres, built farm houses, 
etc., exhibiting every evidence of good judgment in 
his vocation. April 14, 1884, he sold his place to 
Martin Bassett, of Canada, and he now resides in the 
State of Missouri. 

Mr. Goll has been Township Treasurer eight years 
and held other offices: has now been Township 
Clerk two years, and is also Health Officer. In ix)l- 
itics he is a Republican. 



^ 

A 



Ky 

< 



(T 



i 



^.,(?<5X,/5P^ 



-^^D!l^nD>1>-=- 



.:5y?^5?i. 



*-?4^?^?=5^ 




rf*- 



IS A BELLA COUNTY. 



4^^((®VM 



227 



f 



) 
V 







Oct. 6, 1867, in Lincoln Township, he married 
M4ss Malinda Knipe, who was born in Springfield 
Township, Williams Co., Ohio, Jan. 22, 1853, and 
came to this State in the spring of 1868, since which 
time she has resided in this county, except one year 
in Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Goll are the parents of three 
children, viz.: Lettie J., Feb. 14, 187 1 ; George B., 
May 13, 1879, and an unnamed infant, deceased. 
Mr. and Mrs. G. are members of the Free Methodist 
Church. 



Tames M. McMillen, farmer on section 31, 
lljj^ Vernon, was born in Clarion Co., Pa., May 
30, 1829, and is a son of John and Sally 
(Maxwell) McMillen, natives of Pennsylvania, 
and of Scotch-Irish descent. The father has 
been a farmer, and is now living with his son, 
at the advanced age of 85. The mother died in the 
State of Iowa, in July, 1875. Their family included 
ten children, of whom James was the third. 

He lived at home in Pennsylvania, working on his 
father's farm until 30 years old. In 1864 the family 
removed to Lucas Co., Iowa, where he farmed for 
15 years. Selling his property, he then came to this 
State and county and purchased 80 acres of timbered 
land on section 31, Vernon. He has since improved 
40 acres and erected necessary farm buildings. 

He was married Dec. 14, 1854, in Armstrong Co., 
Pa., to Miss Sarah J. Stewart, daughter of Matthew 
and Nancy (Jamison) Stewart, natives of Scotland. 
Mrs. McMillen was born Jan. i, 1834, in Armstrong 
County, and was reared and educated in Clarion 
County, same State. Of her six children, one is de- 
ceased, James M., born July 12, 1859, and died Nov. 
17, 1861. The living are : Winfield S., born Oct. 4, 
1853; Evaline E., Aug. 11, 1857; Edwin C, Dec. i, 
1861 ; Rachel A., June 11, 1866; and Frank S., 
June 25, 1872. Winfield S. was married July 4, 
1883, to Miss Mary E. Phillips, and is now a farmer 
on section 30, Vernon. Evaline E. was married 
June 8, 1876, to J. R. Miller, and is now teaching in 
Jefferson Co., Pa. 

Mrs. McM. is and has been for many years a 
member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. McMillen 
is politically a Democrat, and has been for some 
time Overseer of Highways. 




arren Wing, farmer, section 2, Fremont 
Townsliip, is a son of Wesley and Salana 
._ {/we Wilcox) Wing, natives of New York. 
9 They moved from this State to Iowa in 1850, 
and there the father followed the occupa- 
tion of farmer for two years. He then returned 
to the State of New York, and after remaining there 
a short time came to that State (in the year 1863) 
and located a homestead of 160 acres of land on 
section I, Fremont Township, this county, for him- 
self, and 120 acres on section 2, for his son, the 
subject of this sketch. The father and mother are 
yet living, in Union Township, this county, where 
the former is engaged in farming and is the possessor 
of 120 acres of good land. 

Warren Wing, the subject of this biographical 
notice, was born May 5, 1842, in Chautauqua Co., 
N. Y. He remained on the parental farm, assisting 
the father in the cultivation of the same and attend- 
ing the common schools, until he attained the age of 
21 years. On arriving at this age he accompanied 
his father to this State and aided him in the clearing 
of six acres of land, on which they planted winter 
wheat. He then engaged as a common laborer in 
the lumber woods and followed that occupation until 
1864. During that year he enlisted in Co. H, Eighth 
Mich. Vol. Inf., and was assigned to the Army of the 
Potomac, Ninth Corps, commanded by Gen. Burn- 
side. He participated in the battle of the Wilderness 
and was there wounded in the elbow, which crippled 
him for life, and on account of which he is at present 
a deserving pensioner of the U. S. Government. On 
receiving the wound mentioned, he was sent to the 
hospital, and on convalescing he acted as nurse in 
the hospital for some time, when he was transferred 
to the Veteran Reserve Corps, and was finally dis- 
charged in August, 1865, at Pittsburg, Pa. 

On receiving his discharge, Mr. Wing went to New 
York State and was there united in marriage with 
Miss Lucinda Burt, who was born in Chautauqua 
Co., N. Y., Aug. 20, 1843, and is a daughter of 
Willard and Mary H. (Hosier) Burt, of New Eng- 
land parentage. He.r father was a farmer by occu- 
pation, and died in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., in 1869. 
Her mother is still living on the old homestead. 
Mr. and Mrs. Wing are the parents of three chil- 



I 



^^ 






II 







^ 



I 



dren, two boys and one girl. Their names and dates 
of birth are as follows: Willard W., born July 15, 
1867 ; Leon R., born April 6, 1872; Nellie E., born 
April 29, 1876. 

Mr. Wing politically is a Republican. He has 
held the office of Justice of the Peace for three 
years, was School Inspector two years, Drain Com- 
missioner two years and was re-elected to the latter 
office, but resigned. 

For the past two years Mr. Wing has been devot- 
j ing a considerable portion of his time to the apiary 
I, business, and at the present writing has 75 working 
colonies. He has disix)sed of ten swarms and has 
realized from the business over $400. 




"Ktaefi;©^-' 



.^-S^TZOTv 



t ra M. Potter, farmer and carpenter, resid- 
t ing on section 13, Lincoln Township, was 
born in DeKalb. Co., Ind., Feb. 3, 1853. 
His father, Philetus, was a native of Dutchess 
Co., N. Y., where he was born in 18 11. His 
mother, Harriet L. (Woodward) Potter, was 
born in the State of Vermont, March 23, 1821. 
They were of English and German descent, and the 
mother died in Paulding Co., Ohio, March 18, 1863, 
and the father is still living, in Lincoln Township, 
this county. 

Ira M. accompanied his parents to Paulding County 
when he was three years of age. Seven years later 
his mother died, and at the age of 12 years he came 
with his father to this State. His father located in 
Mecosta County, and after remaining there 18 months 
moved to Newaygo County and settled in Everett 
Township, where he followed the vocation of farmer. 
Here Ira M. assisted on the farm and attended the 
common schools and developed into manhood. He 
remained on the farm until 1868, when he went to 
Fort Wayne, Allen Co., Ind., remained for a period 
and then went to Ohio, and finally returned to Kala- 
mazoo, this State, where he commenced to learn the 
carpenter's trade. He followed that for a time and 
then returned to the vocation of farming, which he 
continued for 18 months, when he moved to Cleve- 
land, Ohio, and there completed the learning of his 
trade of carpenter and joiner. 

After this he went to Ilicksville, Defiance Co., 



Ohio, where he made his home, working at his trade 
for three years. 

In the year 1877, Mr. Potter took quite an extended 
tour throughout the West, for the purpose of investi- 
gating the advantages offered to immigrants. In 
1878 he came to this county and purchased 40 acres 
of land on section 1 1, Lincoln Township. He after- 
ward sold this and and purchased 53 acres, partly 
improved, on section 13, same township. On this 
latter place he is now living, engaged in farming and 
working at his trade. 

Mr. Potter is recognized as a skillful and reliable 
mechanic, and as an evidence of his workmanship 
many of the best residences in the southern part of 
this county will testify. 

Mr. Potter was united in marriage, Feb. 24, 1880, 
in St. Ix)uis, Gratiot County, with Miss Addie, daugh- 
ter of James and Elizabeth (Miller) Maxwell, natives 
of Ohio, where, in Defiance County, they were 
among the very first settlers. Mrs. Maxwell died 
April 14, 1884, and Mr. M. is yet living, in the same 
county. Addie was born in Hicksville, Defiance Co., 
Ohio, Feb. 7, 1852. She was a constant resident 
under the parental roof-tree, assisting in the house- 
hold duties and attending the common and union 
schools, until 1882. She had acquired a good educa- 
tion, and, as her inclination was to be a teacher, her 
education was obtained with that view, and for eight 
years she successfully taught in the common schools 
of her native county. 

Mr. and Mrs. Potter are recognized as belonging 
to a class who are a benefit to the society and com- 
munity in which they reside, and are respected and 
honored citizens of their township. 

Politically, Mr. P. is a supporter of and believer 
in the doctrines of the Democratic party. 



[ikipallace W. Preston, Treasurer of Isabella 
a? County, resident at Mt. Pleasant, was born 




5P Oct. 9, 1837, in the town of Alexander, coun- 
ty of Genesee, State of New York. His 
parents, William and Mary (Fisk) Preston, 
were both natives of Vermont. The father was born 
June 28, 1803, and died Nov. 10, 1881, in Mt. Pleas- 
ant. The mother was born Jan. 31, 1806, and is 



A 



v/ 



^\§^^(^^ 



<m'?^M<^ 



>sZU^. 



^ms- 



r 



t 
Mi 



r 

i 



'rr^ 



4^iin^mi^>r 



-ZM>-\s^'^ 



-|j^K(®\^^ 



^ 



(9 



1=3 

V 



'~^ 



ISABELLA CO UN 



229 



Still living, in Mt. Pleasant, at the advanced age of 
78 years. 

The family of Mr. Preston settled in Wyoming 
Co., N. Y., where they reared and educated their 
children. He became an accomplished scholar and 
taught five terms of school in Wyoming County. In 
the fall of 1863 he came to Isabella County and 
made a purchase of 80 acres of land, on section 10, 
Lincoln Township. He had been a resident but two 
months when he received the appointment of County 
Clerk to fill the unexpired term of Norman Payne, 
and officiated in that position during the year 1864. 
During that time he was elected Register of Deeds, 
on the Republican ticket, and held the office two 
years. Meanwhile he bought the hotel in Mt. Pleas- 
ant (now the Bamber House), took possession of his 
property, which he continued to manage nearly three 
years. He rented the hotel during the two following 
years, and in 1869 sold out. He bought a farm of 
120 acres, lying one-half mile south of Mt. Pleasant, 
which still remains in his possession. It is a valua- 
ble estate, with 95 acres under culture, good build- 
ings, orchards and other creditable farm appurtenan- 
ces. He took possession of his farm in March, 1869, 
and there remained until December, 1882, when he 
moved to Mt. Pleasant. In the spring of 1879 he 
was elected Township Treasurer of Union, and the 
following spring, Sapervisor, which office he held 
until the fall of 1882, when he received the nomina- 
tion for Treasurer of Isabella County, on the Repub- 
lican ticket, and was elected by nearly 300 majority. 

Mr. Preston was married Sept. 24, i86i,in Java, 
Wyoming Co., N. Y., to Arsenath Woodworth. She 
was born June 21, i84r,in Java, and is the daugliter 
of Charles and Nancy Woodworth. The tjiree chil- 
dren of Mr. and Mrs. Preston were born at Mt. 
Pleasant, as follows: Worth W., Sept. ig, 1864; 
Anna B., Sept. 15, 1870; and Ralph E., June 10, 1874. 
The oldest son is a book-keeper, in the employ of 
Upton & Leaton. 

p 

|!|;;harles H. Standbridge, farmer on section 
30, Vernon, was iiorn in Washtenaw Co., 
Mich., July 25, 1853, and is a son of Jabez 
mj^ and Mary A. (Mead) Standbridge, natives of 
(1\ England. The father was at first a common 
laborer, and came with his wife to Washtenaw 
Co., Mich., where they died in 1879 and 1882, re- 




spectively. Of their four sons and six daughters, 
two of the former and three of the latter are living 
Charles is the fourth child and third son. 

Leaving home at the age of 19, he worked by the 
month for farmers in his native county. Four years 
later he came to this county and worked for R. F. 
Glass, of Gilmore Township. In the fall of 1877 lie 
purchased 89 acres of wild land on section 30, Ver- 
non. Two years later he married and moved upon 
his farm, on which he has since resided. He has 
improved 20 acres. 

In political sentiment he is a Republican. 

He was married at Farwell, May 11, 1879, to Miss 
Sarah J., daughter of David and Sarah Margaret 
(Rawling) Branch, natives of Maine and Ontario, 
and of English descent. The mother died in 1872, 
and the father is yet living, in the vicinity of Farwell, 
Clare County. Mrs. Standbridge was born in Genesee 
Co., Mich., Aug. 19, 1862, and has had three chil- 
dren, two of whom are living: Lillie M., born July 
27, 1880, and Nellie M., Dec. 2, 1883. William E. 
was born March 27, 1882, and died Sept. 12, 1882. 







^. 



ohn W. Curtiss, farmer, section 4, Fre- 
I" mont Township, is a son of Waldo W. and 
Margaret (McCue) Curtiss. His father was 
a native of New York, where he was born in 
1820. He was a cooper by trade, and also fol- 
lowed the occupation of farmer, and died in 
December, 1857. His mother was born on the Em- 
erald Isle, in 1825, and died Aug. 14, 1S75, in Oak- 
field, Genesee Co., N. Y. They were the parents of V 
si.x children, all boys, who are all living. £ 

John W., the subject of this biographical notice, § 
was born Feb. 13, 1846, in Genesee Co., N. Y. He 
remained at home until he attained the age of ten 
years, and upon the death of his father he went to 
work as a common laborer, contributing his wages to 
the support of his motlier and brothers. He contin- 
ued to aid the mother and family until the age of 23 
years. He then followed farming for six years in 
Greenville, Montcalm County, this State. For the 
next nine years lie was employed in the lumber woods 
of Montcalm and Isabella Counties. In June, 1883, 
he purchased 120 acres on sections 4 and 5, Fre- 
mont, where he now follows farming. His residence 
is on section 4. 






:) 



t 
I 



* 



ioj 



'T^\imm>T 



-THi&s- 



-*=t^^^^ 



> 



t 



230 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 




••i^,- 
^ 



Mr. Curtiss was united in marriage July 21, 1880, 
to Miss Mina Hey, a native of Jackson Co., Mich., 
where she was born June 17, 1865. She was a 
daughter of Charles and Mary (Weiter) Hey, natives 
of Germany. Her mother came to the New World 
when she was seven years old, in i85i,and her 
father in 1857. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Hey 
comprised seven children, four boys and three girls, 
one of whom, a girl, is deceased. The father and 
mother are both living in Montcalm County, where 
the former is following the occupation of farmer. 
Mr. and Mrs. Curtiss are the parents of two chil- 
dren : one, an infant, died unnamed; and the other, 
Henry VV., was born Aug. 29, 1883, in this county. 

i illiam Tomlinson, farmer, section 22, Lin- 
coln Township, was born in Champlain, 
jj^^-p-j Clinton Co., N. Y., March 21, 1834. The 
parents of Mr. T. were William and Ann 
(Bolton) Tomlinson, natives of England and 
J__' of English descent. His father followed the 
occupation of farming in his native country, and em- 
igrated to this country in 1830, continuing the same 
vocation. His mother died in Clinton Co., N. Y. 
Sept. 6, 1 87 5, aged 76 years and 6 months, and his 
father is at present residing with our subject, aged 
8 1 yearsT 

William Tomlinson, Sr., the subject of this bio- 
graphical notice, is the oldest of the children now 
living, assisted in the cultivation of the homstead, 
attended the common schools and developed into 
manhood. 

Nov. 8, 1853, Mr. Tomlinson was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Sarah J. Palmer, residing in the State 
of Vermont. She was a daughter of Robert and 
Julia (Spaulding) Palmer, natives of Vermont, and 
of New England parentage. Her father died in the 
State of his nativity, in 1848, and her mother is still 
living, in the same State. Sarah was born May 18, 
1835, in Chittenden Co., Vt., and lived under the 
parental roof-tree, assisting her mother in her house- 
hold duties and attending the common schools of 
the county, until the date of her marriage, as stated. 
After his marriage, Mr. Tomlinson worked one of 
his father's farms until the fall of 1865, when he 
, came to this State and homesteaded 1 60 acres of 




land on section 22, Lincoln Township, this county. 
When Mr. Tomlinson located his homestead in the 
county, it was in a section that was almost a dense 
forest. Not a stick of timber had been felled on his 
land, and it was with no little faith in the future de- 
velopment of the country that he was induced to 
continue his battle against the trials and obstacles of 
pioneer life. He experienced all the trials incident 
to the early settler; was compelled to go many miles 
for food for his family and pay an exorbitant price 
for the same, yet " faith " cheered him on, and " en- 
ergetic effort " pulled him safely through. Mr. T. 
disposed of 40 acres of his homestead, and has suc- 
cessfully brought 40 acres of the remainder to a 
good state of improvement. 

Richard B. Tomlinson, a younger brother of our 
subject, is one of the most extensive wholesale and 
retail merchants of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson are the parents of six 
children, born and named as follows: Martha E., 
March 31, 1856; George E., May 10, 1858; Julia 
A.., Sept. 14, i860; Ella A., Oct. 16, 1862; Mary 
A., Sept. 21, 1864; Charles F., June 2, 1866. Mar- 
tha E., George E., Ella A. and Mary A. are married. 
The husband and wife are both members of the Free 
Methodist Church. 

Mr. Tomlinson, politically, is a staunch Republi- 
can. He has filled numerous offices in his township, 
with credit, and is at present Justice of the Peace, 
which position he has held for three terms. 



ewitt S. Johnson, hardware merchant at 
. Dushville, is a son of John Q. A. and 




V^^^ 



J^ 



<^ 



Margaret (Sutherland) Johnson, natives of 
the State of New York, where, in Oneida 
County, the fatiier was born, in 1826, and the 
mother, in Cattaraugus County, in 1825. The 
father was reared on a farm in New York State, and 
when 17 years of age came to Monroe County, this 
State. He lived in that county eight years and then 
moved to Barry County, and continued his vocation 
for four years, when he came to Isabella and located 
on 160 acres of land in Coe Township. He now 
resides on section 30, Union Township. He has 
been an active and prominent man, and his biogra- 
phy appears on another page. 



1=3 
X=I 



V 



i. 



vCn 



.< 



Ir>r 



#^(@ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



P 

* 
^ 



Dewitt S. Johnson, the subject of this biographical 
notice, was born March 3, 1852, in Barry County, 
this State. He was, as his father, reared on the farm 
and received the advantages afforded by the com- 
mon school, and under the instruction of his parents 
and his own energetic, persevering determination, 
acquired a classical education. He accompanied his 
parents to this county, and in 1879 was united in 
marriage with Miss Almeda M. Ackley. She was 
born in Dekalb Co., Ind., in 1856, and was the 
daughter of Harvey and Ro.Kana (Coburn) Ackley, 
natives of Ohio. Mr. Ackley was a soldier in the 
late civil war, and died while in the defense of his 
country's flag. Two children were born of their 
union, namely: Ralph E., May 23, 1880; and 
Erma, Nov. 5, 1882. 

Politically, Mr. Johnson is a believer in and sup- 
porter of the doctrines and principles of the Repub- 
lican party. He has held the office of Constable, 
and is a respected and esteemed citizen of the town- 
ship. Mrs. Johnson is an earnest and active mem- 
ber of the Disciples' Church. 



'^ 




] 




enry Woodin, farmer and mill owner on 
section 28, Sherman, is a son of Henry and 
Lydia (Earl) Woodin, natives of New York. 
Henry Woodin, Sr., was a farmer, and died in 
his native State. His son Henry was born Nov. 
I 6, 1827, in Monroe Co., N. Y., and lived at home 
until 19 years of age, receiving a good elementary 
English education in the common schools. .After 
leaving the parental roof he was employed in various 
gristmills until 1853, when he came to Saginaw, this 
State. He then worked at farming and lumbering 
until 1869, when he came to this county, selected a 
mill-site on Chippewa River, and erected a grist and 
saw mill, which he has operated ever since. He 
owns at the present time 1,050 acres of land, includ- 
ing 120 acres of winter wheat. He has in all 200 
acres improved, and good farm buildings. 

He was married in 1838, to Miss Sarah B. Rose, 
who was born Sept. 10, 1825, in Ontario Co., N. Y., 
the daughter of William and Anna (Barber) Rose, of 
New York Slate. Three children have been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. W. : George E. was born Aug. 11, 
1848. and was accidentally killed in his father's saw- 



mill, in 1878 ; Anna A. was born July 12, 1850; and 
Louella E., Aug. 10, i860. 

In political faith, Mr. Woodin is a Democrat. He 
was elected Supervisor in 1871, and held t lie office 
six consecutive years; and in 1883 and 1884 he was 
again chosen to the same position. He is a member 
of the Masonic Order. 





^Jiarles Stirling, farmer, section 26, Union 
tl.lllSji^ TownsJiip, is a son of James and Ellen 
M-„ ^ (Murray) Stirling, and was born in Midlo- 
thian Parish, Scotland, July 13, T833. When 
he was 19, the family came to Coburg, Canada, 
where they resided eight years, and thence 
they removed to Brockway Township, St. Clair 
County, this State. Here Mr. Stirling was married, 
July 2, 1861, to Miss Naomi Brown, daughter of 
David and Mary (Matthewson) Brown. Slic was 
born in London, Canada, March 12, 1845. 

In 1867, Mr. S. came to Saginaw and engaged in 
lumbering and jobbing, he having for three years 
previous been similarly engaged at Lynn, St. Clair 
County. While at Saginaw he was also in the ico 
business. He was burned out, losing about $4,000. 
In the fall of 1875 he came to Union Township, this 
county, and settled on 80 acres of land, where he 
now resides. This farm he purchased in 1870, and 
his father lived on it five years, until his death, Jan. 
ig, 1876. His mother died in Canada, in 1856. 

One year after locating here, Mr. Stirling bought 
80 acres adjoining his first purchase, on section 27, 
and at the present time 35 acres of this tract and all 
of the 80 acres on section 26 are in a high state of 
cultivation. He has cleared 45 acres by his own 
efforts, and the various improvements make his farm 
one of the finest in Union Township. He has a 
splendid orchard, including six acres, in various kinds 
of fruit. He is still interested in lumbering, to which 
he has devoted more or less of his time for 20 years. 
Mr. Stirling is a member of the Masonic Order. 
His family numbers six. James, the eldest, was 
born in Brockway Township, St. Clair County, Oct. 
5, 1862, and is now in the employ of Doughty Bros., 
of Mt. Pleasant. Mary was born in Brockway, Feb. 
29, 1864, and was married Feb. 28, 1883, to Free 
Estee, of Mt. Pleasant. Nellie M. was born in Lynn 



^' 



A 



ca: 



v/ 

^ 



I 




":23^^K^H 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(b 






s 



Q^ 







Township, St. Clair County, Sept. 27, 1866, is now 
attending school at Mt. Pleasant, and graduates in 
June (1884). David B. was born in Saginaw, July 
25, 1869. Christina was born in Saginaw, April 27, 
1874, and Charles B. was born Oct. 31, 1876. The 
last three are also attending school. 

The portrait of Mr. Stirling is given in this work, 
as that of a worthy, rejiresentative citizen. 



jharles T. Puehert, farmer and blacksmith, 
residing on section 10, Lincoln Township, 
was born in Germany, Aug. 12, 1839. He 
emigrated to this country when about 17 years 
of age and located in Huron Co., Ohio. 
Shortly after his coming into the country he 
apprenticed himself to a Mr. Aaron Abbey, to learn 
the blacksmith's trade. He remained with Mr. Ab- 
bey for one year and a half, and with his successor 
(Wm. Becker) for one year, at which time he com- 
pleted his term of apprenticeship. He then went to 
work as a "jour" and was thus engaged until July 
28, 1862. At that date, he enlisted in Co. A, S5th 
Ohio Vol. Inf., Capt. C. G. Gambey, and accompanied 
his company to the Potomac, to which army it was 
assigned. 

Shortly after his enlistment, Mr. P. was taken sick, 
and after remaining in the hospital for some time he 
was honorably discharged, on account of disability, 
Dec. 13, 1862. 

He returned home and after convalescence he es- 
tablished a blacksmith shop in Huron Co., Ohio. He 
continued to run his shop for a year, and then sold 
it and once again went to work as a "jour." Mr. P. 
continued at his trade for a short time and then went 
to the oil regions of Pennsylvania. He soon re- 
traced his steps to Huron County and erected 
another shop, but shortly sold it. In the spring of 
1866 Mr. P. opened a crockery store in Wood Co., 
Ohio, and successfully conducted the same for about 
a year, then sold it and went to Toledo, same State, 
and again worked at his trade. 

From Toledo, Mr. P. came to Lenawee County, this 
State, thence to Medina Co., Ohio, then back to 
Lenawee County, and in 187 1 went to Illinois, 
where he followed his trade for some time. From 
lUinois he returned to this State and located in Hills- 




dale, and in 1875 came to this county and located on 
160 acres of land on section 26, Lincoln Township, 
which he had previously purchased. He afterward 
sold this land and purchased 80 acres on section 14, 
same township. While residing on this land, Mr. P. 
was burned out, sustaining a loss of $5°°- He then 
sold and moved to Salt River. From the latter 
place he went to Hillsdale County, where he remained 
until 1882, and then returning to this county he pur- 
chased 80 acres of land on section 10, Lincoln 
Township, on which he is at present residing. He 
has been the owner of five farms, on each of which 
he made improverr.ents. 

Mr. P. was first united in marriage, in January, i86i, 
in Huron Co., Ohio, with Miss Sarah A. Gilson, born 
in the county in which they were married. They had 
four children : Albert F., Elizabeth (deceased), 
Charles E. and Isabella. 

His second marriage was to Miss Lucinda Sawdey,. 
of Hillsdale County, this State, who was born Feb. 
16, 1S47. 

Mr. Puehert is a "liberal " in politics, and has held 
the minor offices of his township. He is a member 
of the Order of F. & A. M., Lodge No. 288, at Salt 
River, in which society he has held the office of W. 
M. for two years. 



eorge P. Cullimore, farmer, section 17, 
% Fremont Township, is a son of Daniel and 
Sarah (Haines) Cullimore. His father was 
born in Ireland, of English extraction, and his 
mother, in Maryland. In his younger days, 
his father followed the occupation of a farmer, and 
also that of woolen manufacturer. He came to 
America in 1819, landing at Salem, Mass., but soon 
afterward moved to Maryland. From that State he 
moved to Ohio, and located in Greene County, where 
he followed the occupation of farming for six years, 
and then moved to Whitley Co., Ind. Both father 
and mother died in the latter named county, the 
former in March, 1862, and the latter, Sept. 9, 1880. 
George P. Cullimore, the subject of our sketch, 
was born Sept. 2, 1826, in Frederick Co., Md. He 
lived on the parental homestead, assisting his father 
in the cultivation of the farm and"attended the com- 




i- 

K^ 



A 






'^>^^^ ^^tK^^D !1 5i^lIIs>^r^— ^<?S>^ 



«5)>t; 



IT 



^y 
^ 

y 






>^^ 



-^^^^ 6V<^^IlIl>:ilDi1>^ 



r^^'- 



^ 









■^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^^^®\Wi 



23s 



mon schools, until he arrived at the age of manhood. 
He followed farming in Whitley Co., Ind., until Octo- 
ber, 1874, when he came to this county and settled 
Of 157^ acres of land, which he had purchased in 
1865, and on which he has since made his home. 

At the age of 26 years, Oct. 31, 1852, Mr. Culli- 
more was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Per- 
kins, who was born Aug. 28, 1836, in the State of 
Ohio. By this marriage he has one son, Daniel J. 
Cullimore, born Aug. 25, 1853. Mr. Cullimore was 
again married ; this time for his " life partner " he se- 
lected Miss Martha E. Garner, to whom he was 
united in marriage May 24, 1868, in this county. 
She was born Oct. 25, 1850, in Howard Co., Ind., 
and is the daughter of James and Sarah (Shanley) 
Garner, natives of Ohio and North Carolina. The 
husband and wife are the parents of four children : 
Sarah I., born Aug. 15, 1872; William G., born 
March 3, 1S75 ; George H., born April 4, 1877; and 
John A., born May 9, 1880. 

Politically, Mr. Cullimore is a Republican. He 
has held the office of Justice of the Peace one term, 
and Drain Commissioner, and is one of the repre- 
sentative men of his township. 



"oteec/®^" 



■^^'- 



.^.SWraTrav 



eander L. Taylor, druggist at Dushville, 
is a son of Lorenzo D. and Mary P. (Rob- 
inson) Taylor. His father was born March 
10, 1817, in St. Joseph Co., Mich., was at first 
a cooper by trade, and afterwards bought an 80- 
acre farm in Branch County, where he lived 
until his death, Aug. 3, 1861. His wife was born 
April 22, 1821, in the State of New York. In 1865, 
after the death of her first husband, she married Dr. 
Samuel Green, moved to La Grange Co., Ind., but in 
1876 returned to Branch County, where Dr. Green 
died, .^ug. 13, 1880. She was the mother of ;i 
children, eight of whom are living, and all married 
except Leander L. She is yet living, with her son, 
named at the head of this sketch. 

The latter was born Ai)ril 22, 1858, in Branch Co., 
Mich., and until 17 years of age was with his parents 
on the farm and attending school. In 1880 he went 
to school at Fremont nine months ; returning to 
Branch ("ounty, he studied medicine six months, and 



since the fall of 1882 he has been engaged in the 

drug business at Dushville. Steady and reliable, he 
has a growing trade. 

In regard to questions of national policy, Mr. 
Taylor acts with the Republican party. 



V 




Syron A. Ackerman, farmer, section 18, 
~ Union Township, was born Sept. 6, 1830, 
in Jefferson Co., N. Y., and is a son of 
Salmon C. and Emily (Dickerson) Ackerman. 
His father died when he, the son, was four 
years old, and, four years later, his mother 
was again married. She is yet living, in Jefferson 
Co., N. Y. 

Mr. Ackerman became a sailor when he was 15 
years old, and followed the lakes eight or nine sea- 
sons. He rose to the position of mate and sailed in 
that capacity two seasons. In 1855 he bought 160 
acres of land in Adams Co., Wis. He remained 
there two years, sold out, and went to Des Moines 
Co., Iowa, where he rented a farm and resided three 
years. He became a soldier in the second year of 
the war, enlisting Aug. 13, 1862, in Co. G, 39th Iowa 
Vol. Inf The regiment was assigned to the 15th 
Army Corps, Fourth Division. They joined the di- 
vision at Corinth and went with Sherman from Chat- 
tanooga to Atlanta, thence to the sea, and remained 
with that command until the surrender of Gen. 
Johnston. Mr. Ackerman was a participant in the 
battles of Resaca, Marietta, Kenesavv Mountain, 
Altoona Pass and Bentonville. He was near Gen. 
John Corse at Altoona Pass, when the latter was 
wounded and caught him in his arms as he fell. The 
song, " Hold the Fort," took its origin from the action 
at Altoona. 

Mr. Ackerman was nnistered out June 14, 1S65, 
and went immediately to Kenosha, Wis., whither his 
family had removed during his absence in the war. 
He again resumed his former occupation and engaged 
as a common sailor two seasons, when he was placed 
in command of a steam tug, running from Holland, 
Mich., which he managed five years. His next en- 
gagement was one season as mate of the " Kate 
Howard," and the season following as a sailor " before 
the mast." He then came to Riley Township, Clin- 
ton Co., Mich., where he spent three years on a 
rented farm. In 1877 he bought 80 acres of land in 



A 



sy 

«; 



G) 







^v^tin;t:i]nf^:^ 



-4^^f 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



i 






'^ 



Nottawa Township, Isabella County. The property 
was wholly unimproved, and he devoted the next 
three years to clearing and placing in suitable condi- 
tion for agriculture, about 20 acres. At the end of 
that time, he sold out and bought his present farm, 
v^hich includes 45 acres. At the date of his purchase 
about 12 acres were improved, and Mr. Ackerman has 
increased his cleared and cultivated territory to 32 
acres. He adopts the principles of the Republican 
party, and has a tendency to liberalism in ix)litical 
views. He served one term in Nottawa Township 
as Highway Commissioner. 

He was married Dec. 8, 1858, to Sarah A., 
daughter of Greenleaf and Elizabeth B. (Moon) 
Bates. She was born April 6, 1840, in Erie Co., N. 
Y., 22 miles from Buffalo. Their children are — 
Charles E., born Sept. 10, 1859, in Adams Co., Wis., 
died Feb. 14, 1863; Alice E., born March 27, 1867, 
in Kenosha, Wis., was married Feb. 22, 1883, to Rob- 
ert B. Reynolds; Mary E. was born in Holland 
City, Oct. 9, 1873. 



'(K §|i!j|^fc^°'*y B. Copeman, general farmer and stock- 
^^ 1b, raiser, section 9, Lincoln Township, was 
born in Brant Co., Ont., March 30, 1859. 
His parents, natives of New York and Canada 
respectively, moved when he was very young 
to Oakland Co., Mich., locating upon a farm. 
His mother died July 29, 1877, and he, being the 
youngest, assumed control of half the homestead, 
consisting of 90 acres. He inherited this place and 
followed farming here until April, 1880, when he sold 
and went to Kansas, and thence to Colorado, on a 
prospecting tour. In the fall of that year he came 
to Lincoln Township, this county, and purchased 100 
acres of partly improved land. He has since cleared 
25 acres, having now an aggregate of 75 acres in a 
good tillable condition, with a fine residence, recently 
erected, at a cost of $2,000. He is an active, pro- 
gressive farmer. Politically, he sympathizes with the 
" National " party. 

March 30, 1881, in Mt. Pleasant, Mr. Copeman 
was married to Miss Emma Reimer, who was born 
Jan. I, 1863, in Northumberland Co., Pa. and when 




four years of age was taken by her parents, in change 
of residence, to Ronald Township, Ionia Co., Mich., 
where she lived until marriage. She is a member of 
the M. E. Church. Mr. and Mrs. C. have one child, 
Lena M., born Jan. 7, 1882. 



«E>-^- 





®> ) ( <^« 



i^ 



M^\ 



' Hen Keen, physician and surgeon, at Dush- 
jij k— g^-^ i^ ville, is a son of Joseph and Deborah A. 
S?l£.<3} (Finch) Keen. His father was born in Clinton 
Co., N. Y., Aug. 17, 1800, became a farmer, 
emigrated to Ohio in 1815, and in 1855 to 
Clinton Co., Mich., where he died Jan. 31, 
1877. His (Allen's) mother was born in Tompkins 
Co., N. Y., July 21, r8i6, and is yet living, with her 
son here mentioned. 

Dr. Allen Keen was born Jan. 9, 1844, in Morrow 
Co., Ohio; remained at his parental home until 1877, 
when he entered the Bellevue Hospital Medical Col- 
lege in New York city and attended a six-months 
course of lectures ; he then came to Dushville, arriv- 
ing May 7, 1878, and commenced the practice of 
medicine. In the autumn and winter of 1883-4 he 
attended a six-months course of lectures at the 
Detroit Medical College, graduating Feb. 29. 

Sept. 13, 1862, Dr. Keen enlisted in Co. A, 23d 
Mich. Inf., which was placed in the Second Brigade 
and Second Division of the 23d Army Corps, and he 
participated in all the battles in which his regiment 
engaged, the principal being Campbell Station, Knox- 
ville, Resaca, Ix)St Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Chattahoochee, the Atlanta campaign, Lovejoy Sta- 
tion, Franklin, Nashville, etc. He was discharged in 
July, 1865. He is a member of Lodge No. 305, F. 
& A. M., at Mt. Pleasant, and votes independently in 
in regard to national and State questions. 

Oct. 22, 187 I, Dr. Keen married Miss Ellen V., 
daughter of John G. and Sarah (Fox) Sevy, who was 
l)orn May 10, 1852, in Clinton Co. Mich. Before her 
marriage she taught her first term of school in the 
town of Bengal, Clinton County. She has just closed 
her eighth term as teacher, in the village school at 
Dushville. Her father was a native of New York 
State, born Sept. 14, r799, followed farming, and died 
in November, 1855, in Clinton Co., Mich. Hermother 
was born June 4, 1818, in New Hampshire, and is 



I 



C 



/s 










T 



<m:ms> 



T 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



237 



^ 



^ 




on the old homestead in Clinton Co., 
and Mrs. Keen are the parents of three 
^ children: John S., born July 9, 1874; Philip M., 
March 16, 1876, and Walter, June 3, 1881. 



^amuel Lieehti, farmer on section 34, Ver- 
non Township, was born near Berne, Swit- 
zerland, March 18, 1849. He remained at 
home, working in foundries and saw-mills, 
until 1872, when he came to America, in com- 
pany with an older brother. He stopped first 
at Jersey City, where he followed for one year the 
carpenter's trade, which he had learned before emi- 
grating. He then worked in a sugar refinery for 18 
months, after which he worked in a rolling mill at 
Pittsburg, Pa. In the spring of 1876, he came to 
this State and county, and purchased 80 acres, where 
he now lives. To this he has added 20 acres, and of 
his whole farm 50 acres are well improved. He has 
erected good farm buildings and started a fine or- 
chard. 

He was married March 4, 1876, at Mt. Pleasant, 
to Mrs. Catharine (Leibbrand) Riethmeyer, a native 
of Wurtemberg, Germany. She was born March 18, 
1 83 1, and came to .America when 23 years old. This 
is her third marriage. By her first husband, George 
Bosch, she had three children: Katie, born Feb. i, 
1858 ; Mary, June 2, i860; Regina, March 12, 1862; 
and by her second, Christopher Riethmeyer, she had 
two: Carrie, born June 25, 1865 ; and Gottlieb, June 
4) 1870. 

Mr. Lieehti is politically a Democrat. He and 
wife belong to the Lutheran Church. 

^^-^.^^^:™^^£^ 

fames H. Tinker, farmer on section 18, Sher- 
|S^ man Township, is a son of Sylvester and 
Mary K. (Kennedy) Tinker, natives of Port- 
age Co., Ohio. Sylvester 'I'inker was born 
July 4, 1807, and died in August, 1855. His 
wife was born Sept. 21, 1809, and is yet living, 
with her son, at the mature age of 75. 

Their son James was born May 3, 1835, in Portage 
Co., Ohio, and at 17 went to Illinois. He there 
worked at coopering during the summer, and attended 




school in the winter, for one year. Returning to 
Ohio, he came thence to Michigan with his parents 
and located in Allegan County. For three years he 
worked at his trade in the city of Grand Rapids. 
The next 12 years were spent on a farm in Allegan 
County. In 187 1 he selected a quarter-section m 
Sherman Township, this county. He has now half 
a section of landj 50 acres of which are improved. 

He was married in i860, to Margaret M. Kent, 
who was born Oct. 28, 1835, in Whitby, Canada, the 
daughter of William and Harriet (Henderson) Kent. 
Mr. Kent was born in Vermont, in 1796, and died 
Jan. 25, 1884. His wife was born in New York, 
July 25, 1807, and died May 6, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. 
Tinker are the parents of four children, two of whom 
are living: Josephine H., born Nov. i, 1861, and died 
Sept. 7, 1870; William, born March 31, 1863, died 
in 1867; Eudora, born Oct. 15, 1865; and Marsliall, 
born Sept. 24, 1869. 

Mr. T. was Treasurerof his township consecutively 
from 187 1 to 1877, and was also for six successive 
years Supervisor. He has been Superintendent of 
Schools. He is a member of the Masonic ( )rder, 
and is politically a Democrat. 

►^CS-<^ 



illiam H. Simonds, merchant, section 16 
'^*"' Lincoln Township, was born in Homer 
Cortland Co., N. Y., Dec. 6, 1837. His 
!> father, Benjamin Simonds, was a native of 
Connecticut, of English descent, a cooper by 
trade, but generally followed the ashery busi- 
ness, in New York, until 1 87 2, when he came to Mich- 
igan and located in Capac. In 1879 he was drugged 
by some robbers for his money, which then amounted 
to about $400, and he soon after died from the effects 
of the drug. He was never able to speak a word 
after that crime was committed upon him. The 
mother of William H. — Malinda (iiee McDonald) — 
was a native of Ballston, N. Y., of F2nglish descent, 
and died in her native State, in November, i860. 

Of the children in the above family, — three sons 
and three daughters, — the subject of this sketch is the 
eldest. When three years of age the family moved 
to Eaton, Madison Co., N. Y., and two years later to 
Pekin, Niagara Co., N. Y., where he attended school 
and worked with his father in the ashery until 20 




9 



O 






)5f§i# 



^^>^^ e7^^Il!l^IHi;>V4=^ ^^^ -i^^^^-<^>N§|) 




^^^ 



J^ii, 



<^iiiisiin^> 



3 






^ 



7 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



years of age; but from the time he was i6 he de- 
voted the summer seasons to labor upwn his father's 
farm, "on shares." When he became of age he went 
to lUinois and worked a year for a farmer in Stephen- 
son County; then was at Omaha, Neb., where he 
worked on a farm one season and clerked in a store 
during the following winter. Then he went, with a 
view to mining, to Pike's Peak, Salt Lake City, Pike's 
Peak again, Santa Fe and back to his old home in 
New York State. 

April, 28, 1 861, he enlisted in a battalion for the 
service of the State, and subsequently for that of the 
general Government, joining Co. K, 28th N. Y. Vol. 
Inf, Army of the Shenandoah, being under Gens. 
Patterson, Banks and Hooker. Aug. 9, 1862, at the 
battle of Cedar Mountain, he was captured, but im- 
mediately paroled, and he volunteered to take care 
of the Union and rebel prisoners at Charlottesville. 
Va. Here he spent, as he says, "40 of the best days 
of all his life," as he was cared for in an extraordinary 
manner, considering the exigencies. He was al- 
lowed many privileges, and given by the rebel officers 
and citizens several thousands of dollars in confi- 
dence, which he gave to the Union soldiers passing 
there on the cars. At the end of the 40 days he was 
declared exchanged and went back to his regiment^ 
where he remained until the close of his enlistment, 
in July, 1863, when he was honorably discharged. 
He was in six general engagements, besides minor 
battles; was wounded in the left knee at Winchester, 
Va., May 25, 1862. Returning home, he followed 
farming a year, then re-enlisted again, in the 23d N. 
Y. Ind. Battery, of Schofield's Division in North Car- 
olina. Was in two active engagements, but escaped 
unhurt ; and was finally discharged, after the close 
of the war, July 14, 1865. 

Spending then a short time in his native State, he 
came to this county and " took up " 160 acres of wild 
land, under the Homestead Act, on section 15, Lin- 
coln Township. After following agricultural pur- 
suits here for about six years, he went, in April, 187 i, 
to Salt River, where he followed painting; in the fall 
of that year he went to Mt. Pleasant, where for five 
years he alternated between painting and clerking in 
a store. In the fall of 1881, he came to Lincoln 
Township, erected a store-house on section 16, and 
in August following he placed therein a stock of $625 
worth of goods, which he has increased with an in- 





creasing trade until now he carries a stock of $2,000 
and does an annual business of $1 1,000. He built the 
first store and the second frame house in the town- 
ship. 

Mr. S. is a charter member of the blue lodge, F. 
& A. M., at Salt River, has held tlie minor offices of 
his township, and in politics is a strong Democrat. 

Oct. I, 1865, in Dowagiac, Mich., Mr. Simonds 
married Miss Olive C, daughter of Henry and Julia 
(Chessbrough) Hills, natives respectively of New 
York and Vermont, of English ancestry. Mrs. S. 
was born in Dowagiac, June 12, 1843. Harry H. 
Simonds, their only son, was born Feb. 27, 1877. 



IE dwin E. Coburn, minister, teaclier and 
10 surveyor, residing at Dushville, Fremont 
Township, is a son of John F. and Min- 
jSjjL erva (Twadell) Coburn. 

His parents were natives of New York State, 
where his father was born June 22, 1807, and 
his mother Oct. 2, 1812. His father was a minister 
by profession, and at times followed the occupation 
of a farmer. He was a prominent citizen in what- 
ever community he resided, and while living in De- 
Kalb Co., Ind., he held the position of Clerk of the 
Circuit Court five years and Register of Deeds seven 
years. He was also Pastor of the Church of Christ 
and followed his ministerial labors until the time of 
his death, which occurred while administering the 
gospel in 1880. The mother died Oct. 25, 1840, in 
Auburn, DeKalb Co., Ind. 

Edwin R. Coburn, the subject of our notice, was 
born in Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio, Aug. 10, 1835. 
He remained at home until his step-mother's death, 
which occurred when he had attained the age of 17 
years, when he entered the mercantile establishment 
of Dickerson Bros., at Hicksville, Ohio, as clerk. 
His education had been acquired in the common 
schools and under the tutorship of his father, and 
after clerking in the establisliment mentioned for a 
period of time he entered on the profession ol 
teacher. He continued to follow this until the civil 
war. 

Sept. 23, 1861, he enlisted in Co. F, 44th Ind. Int. 
He first smelt gunpowder " burnt in anger " at the 
battle of Corinth. He also participated in the bat- 



^' 



A 

1=1 



r 



% 



-s^k^f^ 



-A<iD!i^nD;t>A 



.^i^^ 






||s/^D$€^t|— 



-:,^^ 6V4^nn^Dllr>v 



-;2S«^^<sr 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






239 






t 



A 






'^ 



ties of Chickamauga and Chattanooga. At the 
former he was wounded and was detached to survey 
the National Cemetery at Chattanooga. He was 
honorably discharged Nov. 21, ICS64, having served 
three years and two months. 

After his discharge he went home to Indiana, and 
followed surveying for some time, and in 1866 came 
to this county and located at Dushville. He has 
constantly resided at that place ever since. He has 
followed the ministerial profession since 1858, and is 
at the present time a member of the District Mis- 
sionary Society. He also devotes his time to survey- 
ing during summers and to teaching winters, in 
addition to his ministerial labors. 

Mr. Coburn was united in marriage Oct. 25, 1858, 
to Miss Elizabeth Johnson, born Oct. 25, 1836, in 
Stark Co., Ohio. She was a daughter of David and 
Margaret Johnson, natives of Pennsylvania, who 
moved from that State to Hicksville, Defiance Co., 
Ohio, where they both died. 

Politically, Mr. Coburn is a supporter of and be- 
liever in the principles of the Republican party. He 
has held the office of Justice of the Peace and School 
Inspector, and was Postmaster at Dushville for a 
number of years. 




I 



oseph A. Owen, farmer on section 36, Ver- 
"^ non, was born in Lower Canada, Dec. 3, 
1827, and is a son of Amasa and Mary 
(McNeal) Owen, natives of Vermont and New 
Brunswick and of Scotch-Irish descent. The 
father was a farmer and mechanic, and is sup- 
posed to have been lost on a boat that sunk in Lake 
Erie, about 1842. The mother died when Joseph 
was three years old. 

The latter lived from the time of his mother's 
death until 18 years old, with a man named Erastus 
Lawrence. While with him he learned the cooper's 
trade. At the age mentioned, he went to Rutland 
Co., Vt., where he learned the carpenter and joiner's 
trade. He followed this in that county for six or 
seven years, during which time he spent two seasons 
on the lakes and canal. He afterward went to North- 
ern New York, where he was a captain on a Lake 
Champlain canal boat. Thence lie went to Lancas- 
ter, N, y., where he entered the machine shops and 



studied mechanics. He afterwards worked in various 
places throughout the Empire State. In 1854 he 
came to Flint, this State, and engaged there in the 
same trade, which lie followed in that place until 
i860. Thence he went to East Saginaw, and for 
some time he worked there in the shops. He was 
for a time engineer and head sawyer. In 1865 he 
took a trip through the Northern Peninsula, where he 
trapped for fur animals, with reasonable success. 

After following trapping in several other places, he 
returned to Saginaw, and resumed his trade of ma- 
chinist, at which he worked until 1875. Aug. 6, of 
that year, his clothing was caught amongst the ma- 
chinery, and being new, its strength was such that 
the strain nearly killed him before his clothing was 
stripped from his person. For 14 weeks he was under 
medical care. After his recovery he worked for two 
years in the mill, and then, in 1877, came to Isabella 
County and purchased 80 acres of land on section 
26, Vernon. He has now 30 acres well im|)roved. 

He was married Sept. 14, 1869, in East Saginaw, 
to Miss Ann Trevidick, daughter of John and Eliza- 
beth (Hocky) Trevidick, natives of England. Mrs. 
Owen was also born in England, Aug. 18, 1840. 
She WIS two years old when her people came to 
Canada, and nine when they settled at Mt. Clemens, 
Macomb County. She afterwards was employed at 
dress-making in Saginaw, having learned the art at 
Mt. Clemens. 

Mr. and Mrs. Owen have two cliildren : Frank T., 
born Sept. 8, 1872; and John J., born Oct. 6, 1874. 
Mrs. Owen has been for 15 years a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. O. is a member 
of East Saginaw Lodge, No. 77, F. & A. M., and is 
politically a Democrat. 

jjf'I^Kewis Green, farmer, section 19, Lincoln 
iji^^^g Township, was born in Seneca Co., N. Y. 
;;'t^^^ ' March 25, 182 I. Hf lived with his parents' 
r^-p in his native county, attending the common 
4*) schools and assisting on the farm until he was 
V 14 years of age, when he accompanied them to 
Fulton Co., Ohio, where they settled on a farm. 

Mr. Green remained on the farm, assisting in the 
cultivation of the same, until his marriage to Miss 
Diana Steadman, July 2, 1845. ^'^"^ ^^'"^^ ^ native ot 



c;^ 



< 



y^}} 



^vr®))^^^#- 



-r? 



V^I 



ISA BELL 



A COUNTY. 



t 



-On 






t 



New York, and was born in Orleans County, that 
State, June lo, 1821. Her mother died when she was 
quite young, and when she attained the age of 15 
years she went to Fulton County, where she lived un- 
til her marriage. She has borne to Mr. Green one 
child, Winfield S., June 3, 1853. He was united in 
marriage with Miss Malessa'A. Vanalstine, who was 
born in Prince Edwards Co., Can., May 4, 1S53. 
Malessa is the mother of two children, Lewis A. and 
John C, both living. 

Two years after Mr. Green was married he came 
to Hillsdale County, this Stale, and settled in Jeffer- 
son Township. He followed the occupation of farm- 
ing on this land until October, 1864, when he came 
to this county and purchased 154 acres of land, on 
section 19, Lincoln Township, on which he has con- 
stantly resided ever since. Mr. Green has disposed 
of 49 acres of his original purchase and donated one 
acre for a township burying ground, and has success- 
fully brought into a good state of cultivation more 
than half of the remainder. 

Mr. and Mrs. Green were among the first settlers 
in this township, and experienced the obstacles and 
privations of the early pioneer; yet, having faith in 
the future development of the country and an abund- 
ance of energy and perseverance, they battled against 
vicissitude and lived to see the realization of their 
faith. 

Politically, Mr. Green is a believer in and supporter 
of the Republican parly. He has been honored with 
several minor offices within the gift of the peojjle 
and is a respected and esteemed citizen of his town- 
ship. 




artin Z. DeHart, fanner, section iS, Lin- 
coln Township, was born in Fairfield Town- 
ship, Richmond Co. (Staten Ishmd), N. 
Y., Aug. 27, 1845. 

The parents of Martin were John W. and 
Ann (Hicks) DeHart, both natives of Rich- 
mond County, and of French and German lineage. 
His father followed the occupation of "oyster 
dredger " until 1865, when he came to this State and 
settled on a farm in Montcalm County, where they 
are both at present residing, aged 65 and 60 years 
respectively. 



Mr. DeHart accompanied his parents to this State 
when ten years of age. He remained with them, 
under the parental roof-tree, and assisted in the 
maintenance of the family. He was the oldest of a 
family of seven children (five boys and two girls); 
and, the family being in meager circumstances, the 
greater portion of the labor fell to the lot of our sub- 
ject; yet uncomplainingly he bore the burden and re- 
mained with the family until he attained the age of 
20 years. On reaching this age in life, he set forth 
on the " road of trouble " to battle the vicissitudes 
of life without aid. 

He first worked on the neighboring farms, and, 
until he reached the age of manhood, gave one-half 
his wages to his father. He has recently obtained a 
clerkship in a store, and is at present following that 
vocation. In 1875 ^^- DeHart received the ap- 
pointment of Deputy Postmaster, and has held the 
position to the present time. 

In the fall of 1876 Mr. D. purchased 40 acres of 
land on section 17, Lincoln Township, and lias 
turned his leisure lime to its improvement, and has 
-?5 acres of the same in a good state of cultivation. 

Politically, Mr. D. is a supporter of and believer 
in tile [irinciples of the Republican party. 



-<3= 



J^_A. 



£*- 



^,harles D. Bogue, farmer on sectit)n 33, 
Sit Vernon, was born in Shiawassee Co., 
^!fv^ Mich., Oct. 14, 1844, and is a son of James 
^p and Harriet Slimson, natives of the State of 
A New York. His father was a farmer, was 
< one of the pioneers of Shiawassee C'ounty, 
where he settled 50 years ago, and died in that coun- 
ty, where tlie mother is still living. 

The subject of this sketch remained at liome until 
the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in Co. 
D, First Mich. Vol. Cav., which was assigned to the 
.\rmy of the Potomac. He participated in all the 
engagements of his regiment, which achieved for it- 
self a distinguished record. He received no wounds, 
but his health was seriously impaired, and he was 
honorably discharged, March 10, 1866, after a service 
of nearly five years. His last year was on the fron- 
tier, and his muster out was received at Salt Lake 
City. 

Returning to Michigan, he purchased the hom<; 



I' 






"5\ 



A 



^ 



O) 





^^>/^'"-^W 



^l-^l-'^V^.^L^ 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



.^ 



stead fanii, which he cultivated one year; was then 
for a time on the lakes, and then once more he re- 
turned to his native place. With the exception of 
one year in the West, he worked the home farm until 
December, 1875, when he came to this county and 
bought 160 acres on sections 32 and 33, Vernon, 
wild and unsubdued. He has since sold the 80 
acres on 32, and of the remainder has 35 acres im- 
proved. 

He was married July 2, 1868, in Saginaw, to Miss 
Elizabeth Graham, daughter of John and Jennie 
(McFerrin) Graham, who was born in Wellington 
Co., Ont., July 12, 1854. Of this marriage five chil- 
dren have been born, as follows : Jennie B., Oct. 10, 
1869; Hattie A., May i, 187 i; Lewie M., March 6, 
1873; Nettie M., June 6, 1875 ; George L., Jan. i, 
1880. 

Mr. Bogue is a Republican and has held the minor 
offices of his school district. 




-f-.Kt^<4 



Ijs eter Chapman, farmer and stock-raiser, 

Wi section 1 1, RoUand Township, is a son of 

Peter and Martha (Pierce) Chapman. His 

^^ father was born in 1779, in Saratoga Co., N. 

^ Y., and died March 17, 1857, in Monroe Co., 
N. Y. His mother was born in 1778, in Wash- 
ington Co., N. Y., and died in 1865, in Monroe Co., 
N. Y. They had two daughters and six sons, only 
two of the children now living. 

The subject of this sketch was born April 16, 
1825, in Monroe Co., N. Y. At the age of 17 he 
engaged for the summer seasons at work upon the 
canal, for about 14 years; he then came to Michi- 
gan and resided in .\llegan County one year, in Ionia 
Coupty ten years, until 187 1, engaged in farming; 
his next place of residence, for five years, was on a 
quarter of section 35, Rolland Township, this county, 
and he then bought a quarter-section where he now 
resides and has 100 acres under good cultivation. 

Mr. Chapman has been Treasurer of his Township 
three years, and Highway Commissioner for a num- 
ber of terms. In regard to political issues he is a 
Democrat. 

In the year 1849 Mr. C. was married to Miss l.o- 
denia, daughter of Ira and Clarissa Willis, who died 
in Monroe Co., N. Y., the latter in 1848 and the 





former in the autumn of 1 863. In that county, Jan. 
19, 1830, Mrs. C. was born. There were 13 children 
in the family. Mr. and Mrs. Chapman are the par- 
ents of nine children, viz. : Ira O., born May 5, 
1851 ; Arietta, Feb. 13, 1856; Frank, Nov. 26, 1858; 
Delia, June 24, i860; Herbert, Oct. 3, 1862; Day, 
born June 19, 1864, died Aug. 5, 1868; Burton, born 
April 19, 1866, died Aug. 12, 1868; Burton (2d), 
born May 26, 1870; Maud, born Sept. 13, 1872. 



dward Bellingar, general farmer and stock- 
raiser, section 4, Lincoln Township, was 
»^vy born in Defiance Co., Ohio, Sept. 8, 1844. 

i;S- His father, .^dam Bellingar, a farmer, was born 
in New York, of New England parentage and 
J English ancestry, and died in Lincoln Town- 
ship, this county, Feb. 8, 1875 ; was prominent in 
the pioneer history of this county. Edward's mother, 
Lydia (^iice Jones) Bellingar, was of the same nativity, 
and died about 1854, in Hillsdale Co., Mich. 

The subject of this sketch was an infant when his 
parents moved to Hillsdale County, this State, where 
he grew up and was educated at the common school. 
In June, 1861, he, then aged 17, came to this county 
with his father, who homesteaded a quarter-section 
of wild land, where he still resides. He has always 
been a farmer, industrious and economical, and 
therefore prosperous, now owning all the homestead, 
250 acres, on sections 4 and 5. Of this he has 200 
acres in a fine tillable condition. He has a stock 
and grain barn, which cost $1,500, and a brick resi- 
dence, that cost $2,000. Considering that he was 
made a cripple for life by a cut in the left knee when 
he was a child, compelling him ever to use crutches, 
great credit is due him for his business tact and am- 
bitious energy in agricultural affairs. He has held 
the school offices of his township, as well as that of 
Treasurer. Witli respect to national issues, he is a 
staunch Republican. 

June 30, 1866, in Lincoln Township, Mr. Bellingar 
married Miss Mary, daughter of William and Clo- 
rinda (Spencer) Mull, natives respectively of Ireland 
and New York, and of English, Irish and German 
ancestry. They both died in Hillsdale Co., Mich. 
Mrs B. was l)orn in Maumee, Ohio, Nov. i, 1842, 
moved to Hillsdale County when young, and to this 



I 



(i^ 






county in 1865, when 23 years old. Mr. and Mrs. 
B. are the parents of five children, namely : Freder- 
ick, born May 3, 1869; Lydia C, Feb. 22, 187 1 ; 
Lillian T., May 4, 1874; Ednah I., Feb. 18, 1876; 
Ivy A., Feb. 22, 1878. The parents attend the 
Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Mr. Bellingar's portrait, on another page, is a val- 
uable addition to the collection presented in this 
volume. 



; homas Bamber, farmer, section 9, Union 
Township, was born in August, 1847, in Mur- 
ray Township, Northumberland Co., Can. 
He is a son of Will and Clarissa (Bush) Bamber, 
natives of England and Canada. His parents 
settled on a farm in the Dominion of Canada. 
They transferred their interests to Union Township, 
Isabella Co., Mich., in the fall of 1869, where his father 
bought the Preston House, conferred upon it his own 
name, and continued its management several years. 
He died in Mt. Pleasant. 

Mr. Bamber assisted his father in the hotel several 
years, and after working about three years as a builder, 
he purchased the farm where he has since resided, 
comprising 120 acres of land. About 40 acres were 
in tillage at the time of his purchase, to which he 
has since added until he has 65 acres in very finely 
improved and cultivated condition, with creditable 
farm buildings. 

Mr. Bamber was married in East Saginaw, to Eliza- 
beth, daughter of Luke and Mary Murphy, natives 
of Canada. Five children have been born of this 
union, on the farm in Union Township, as follows : 
Richard, Clarissa, Annie J., William and Michael J- 





A4a£i2/5E^-«— ^^ 



^■^^j/aOTsv^ 



J;|^aleb Bundy, farmer, section 8, Fremont 

^tgsT^^ Township, is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth 

W^ (Fessler) Bundy. Mr. Bundy, Sr., was born 

f|lj in the State of New York, in 181 8; followed 

P farming until 1862, when he enlisted in an 

Ohio regiment in the Western Army, died in 

the hospital at Chattanooga in 1864, and was buried 

in the national cemetery at that place. His widow 



is yet living, 60 years of age, in Holland Township, 
this county. 

The subject of this sketch was born July 4, 1856, 
in Henry Co., Ohio; remained at home until of age, 
helping to support his widowed mother and a family 
of seven children, who were dependent upon his 
labor and that of his brother ; he then came to his 
present location, where he owns 40 acres of land, 
with good improvements thereon. During the winter 
seasons he has been engaged in the lumber woods. 

On national issues, Mr. Bundy has always been 
counted a Republican. 

In 1 88 1 Mr. B. married Miss Sarah, daughter of 
Jacob and Elizabeth (Harshman) Crura, natives of 
Ohio : father was born in Green County, that State, 
in October, 1821, and mother Jan. 11, 1827; and 
their four sons and three daughters are all yet living. 
The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bundy are, Elnora, 
born Oct. 25, 1882, and Edna, Sept. 16, 1883. 



I 
t 



i 




-3!^^ %A<J 



eorge W. Waight, farmer on section 25, 
Sherman Township, is a son of William 
and Harriet (Grinold) Waight, natives of 
the State of New York. William Waight was 
born in 1807, and died in 1874. He followed 
farming, and also worked at the stone-mason's 
trade, and died in his native State. 

His son, George, was born June 27, 1844, in Steu- 
ben Co., N. Y., and worked on the farm and attended 
school until he was nearly of age. He then enlisted 
in Co. H, i6ist N. Y. Inf., and was assigned to the 
Army of the Southwest, under Gen. Canby (the same 
who was a few years since killed by the Indians, in the 
far West). He was engaged in the siege of Mobile, 
Ala., and was finally discharged from the U. S. gen- 
eral hospital, June 15, 1865. 

Returning to his home in Steuben Co., N. Y., he 
there remained until 1868, when he came to Kala- 
mazoo, Mich. He worked at farming and other em- 
ployment until 1877, when he came to Isabella 
County and located on 80 acres of wild land, 40 of 
which are now nicely improved. 

He was married in 1867, to Miss Louise Towsley, 
who was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., in 1848, and 
died in this county, March 7, 1883. He was again 
married, to Miss Hannah Harris, who was born Oct 









r 



■'J 



T 

r^ = 



■:2s€^^s: 6V<^>llIl§llIl^>v 



raif^^G;' 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






^ 



.</ 



■>j 



V 



^ 



^ 




30, 1845, in Medina Co., Ohio, the daughter of David 
and Elizabeth (Applenian) Harris, natives of Colum- 
biana Co,, Ohio. Mr. Harris was born in 1797, and 
died in 1S76, in Hudson, Lenawee Co , Mich. Mrs. 
Harris was born in 1805, and is yet living, in Mt. 
Pleasant, at the age of 79. 

Mr. Waight is politically a Democrat. He has 
been Treasurer of his township and Highway Com- 
missioner, and is now Justice of the Peace. 




ansley Sutliff, retired farmer, residing on 
section 2, Lincoln Township, and one of 
''^(^P'" the self-made men of the county, was born 
' <v\ '" Connecticut, Aug. 12, 1796. 

When seven years of age he accompanied 

his parents from Connecticut to New York, 

) where they settled, and when Ransley was about 17 

years of age both died. Thus, before he had ripened 

^ into years of manhood, Mr. S. was thrown upon the 

^ cold, unthinking world to fight the battles of life 

alone. He worked at common labor on the farm and 

otherwise until he attained the age of 27 years. 

May 18, 1825, in Wayne Co., N. Y., he was united 
in marriage with Catharine Barnhart, a native of 
New York, where she was born Dec. 3, 1803. She 
is the mother of seven children, born to Mr. Sutliff, 
of whom three boys and two girls are living. 

Ang. 14, i8r4, Mr. Sutliff enlisted in the services 
of the U. S. Government, but the regiment in which 
he enlisted was out only about three montlis, and he 
i was honorably discharged in November, 18 14. 
4 After he was married, Mr. S. settled in Orleans 
Co., N. Y.; but, owing to the unhealthfulness of that 
county, he returned to Wayne County, same State, 
and remained a sufficient length of time to recuper- 
ate his health, which had been greatly impaired dur- 
ing his residence in Orleans County, when he went 
to Monroe County, same State, and followed the vo- 
cation of farmer for three years. From Monroe 
County he went to Cattaraugus County, same State, 
J; and there followed agriculture three years, when he 
%- went to Pennsylvania and was engaged in the same 
-y occupation until 1834. 

*\'\ In May, 1834, Mr. Sutliff came to this State and 
I * located in what is now known as Basswood Corners, 
/ Hillsdale County. 



This was prior to the admission 



of Michigan into the Union, and at that time Hills- 
dale was but a hamlet. The country was truly a 
wilderness, and the hand of improvement was hardly 
visible. All around him was a dense forest, and 
only one family lived within a radius of 12 miles. 
Wolves came in great numbers howling round the 
log-cabin door, and on one occasion killed a two-year- 
old colt, and on another a two-year-old steer, belong- 
ing to Mr. Sutliff. Deer were also in abundance, 
and a good supply of venison was almost always on 
hand. He killed five in one day, within a few yards 
of his cabin. He lived here in the forest for nine 
years. His wife, with her scant supplies and few 
conveniences, likewise toiled, a song on her lips for 
the birdlings in their nests, and a greeting for the 
weary mate when he rested from his labors. 

After remaining there nine years, he removed to 
Clinton County, and was there engaged in farming 
for 12 years, when he removed to Montcalm County, 
and lived there four years, engaged in the same oc- 
cupation, and then went to Newaygo County and 
located in Bridgeton Township, on the banks of the 
Muskegon River. From Newaygo, Mr. S. moved to 
Osceola County, and in 1872 came to this county and 
purchased 40 acres of land on section 2, Lincoln 
Township, where he is at present residing. 

Mrs. Sutliff is now living and has attained the 
venerable age of 8r years, and still retains her cus- 
tomary good health and to a great degree her strength. 
The venerable couple have celebrated their 59th 
marriage anniversary, and are greatly respected and 
esteemed by the citizens of their township. 

Politically, Mr. S. is a believer in and supporter of 
the principles of the Republican party. 



iK'lljff^^^'^ M. Hungerford, farmer, section 18, 
^j*^^^^^ Union Township, was born Oct. 15, 1845, 

f>^-^ * in Somerset, Niagara Co., N. Y. He is 
\ the son of Laban L. and (Charlotte Caroline 
^?* (Corbin) Hungerford. His mother was born 
in the State of New York, and died in Genesee 
Co., Mich., in September, 1864. The father is a na- 
tive of New Hampshire and resides in Genesee 
County. 

Mr. Hungerford w'as 14 years old when his jiarents 
settled in Mundy, Genesee ('o., Mich., and he re- 
mained at home until the advent of civil war, when, 



v^ 






t>! 



4 



r^ 



I 



M 




^^^ 



-:^^ ^ o^v ^M'S WfW^ :^^^^ 



,^5, 



1=3 



v 



(<) 



% 



ISABELLA County. 



at the age of i6, he became a soldier. He enlisted 
in Co. H, loth Mich. Vol. Inf., and was in the First 
1^" Brigade, Second Division of the 14th Corps of the 
I Army of the Cumberland. He was in that command 

(^ through all its battles and marches from Chattanooga 
to the surrender of Joe Johnston. Among the more 
important engagements were Bentonville, Chicka- 
mauga, Dallas, Lookout Mountain, Jonesboro, Peach- 
Tree Creek, etc. At the battle of Peach-Tree Creek 
he received a sunstroke and thenceforward, to the 
close of the war, he was on light duty. Previous to 
this injury he was never excused from duty, and 
during the entire period of his service was never in 
a hospital and never rode in an ambulance. 

He was mustered out July 19, 1865, at Louisville, 
Ky. Soon after that event he bought 45 acres of 
land in Livingston Co., Mich. After eleven years' 
residence in that section of the Peninsular State he 
bought 45 acres where he has since resided. The 
entire acreage was in a state of nature and he has 
improved and placed 30 acres in fair farming condi- 
tion. 

Mr. Hungerford was married Oct. 14, 1866, to 

Affa A., daughter of John N. and Rozzillah (Hurd) 

Barnes. Her parents were natives of the State of 

. New York. Her mother died June 20, 1873, at 

/ Tyrone, Mich. Mrs. Hungerford was born Aug. 18, 
1845, in the village of Birmingham, Bloomfield 
Township, Oakland Co., Mich. The children now 
belonging to the household are Ettie B., born May 
30, 1869; Edna B., Aug. 29, 1870; Miron B., May 
9, 1875. All were born at Tyrone in the county of 
Livingston, this State. 



^3^ 



7-~r 



=£>- 




^jrrus Crum, farmer, section 18, Fremont 
1^ Township, is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth 
(Harshman) Crum. His father, a farmer, 
was born Oct. 26, 1822, in Montgomery Co., 
Ohio ; and his mother, in Green Co., Ohio, 
Jan. II, 1828. They lived in Indiana nearly 
20 years, then in Cass County, this State, four years, 
then 13 years in Whitley Co., Ind., and finally came 
to their present abode on section 18, purchasing a 
quarter-section of wild land. Here they have im- 
proved 70 acres and erected substantial buildings. 




They have had four sons and three daughters : four 
of the children are married. 

Mr. Cyrus Crum was born Feb. 10, 185 i, in Cass 
Co., Mich., and has always remained with his parents. 
He has charge of the farm. During the war the fa- 
ther was a soldier for the Union, being a member of 
Co. K, Eighth Ind. Inf , under Gen. Sherman. On 
account of ill health he was detailed to guard rebel 
prisoners at Indianapolis. He was discharged at 
the termination of his time of service, in 1861;. 
Last year (1883) Cyrus made an extended tour 
through Dakota Territory. He is a young man of 
good habits, and is recognized as such by the com- 
munity in which he resides. On national questions 
he votes with the Republican party. 



^ 



m 



'— -? — ^^^t~f^s'^'> — 5- — 

|||P^^aniel Lynch, merchant at Blauchard, is a 
H^^^|j_ son of John and Joanna Lynch, natives of 
yiujjy- Ireland.' The father was born in 1830, 

WV and has been a sailor, until 188 1, when he 
W became a clerk in his son's store. The mother 

> was born in 1831 and died April 13, 1873, in 
Kent Co., Mich. 

Their son Daniel was born April 18, 1852, in New- 
port, R. I., and at the age of 16 years left home to 
learn the blacksmith's trade. Following this occu- 
pation as an apprentice five years, he then started in 
for himself at Grand Rapids, where he remained two 
years. His shop was consumed by fire. In 1875 he 
started in the grocery business in the same city, con- 
tinuing in it two years. He then followed black- 
smithing about six months, at the expiration of 
which time (1878) he came to Blanchard, this county. 
After three months at his trade, he returned to 
Grand Rapids. Coming once more to Blanchard, lie 
bought a lot and erected a grocery, where he began 
in mercantile life again. During this time the village 
of Blanchard was incorporated. He held the offices 
of ("onstable, Trustee, Marshal and Deputy Sheriff 
(under C. M. Brooks, Sheriff). In 1879 he exchanged 
his store for 80 acres of land in Rolland Township, 
and June 20, 1880, he again established a general 
mercantile business, resigning all other positions 
which demanded his time. He has, however, since 
held the office of village Treasurer two terms. 
He was married May 12, 1875, to Miss Elizabeth 



< 

A 



¥, 






(^ 




I 



.% 



^I$VN/^^))e^t|^ 



<^I1I1^I1D^> 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"Z^^Sf- 






247 






>^ 



V 



^ 



I 



Condon, who was born June 17, 1852, in Kent Co., 
Mich., the daughter of John and Hannah Condon. 
Mr. C. died in 1873, in Walker Township, Kent 
County. The mother now lives in Grand Rapids. 
Mr. and Mrs. Lynch are the parents of two children, 
— Elinor, born March 28, 1876; and Bessie, born 
Nov. 25, 1879. 

Mr. L. is politically independent. He and wite 
are members of the Catholic Church. 

A 

.mos E. Woodin, farmer, section S, Lin- 
.| itt3«4 3;^ coin Township, was born in Warren Co., 
I^ Pa., July 20, 1844. 

■'jrJ'j'^ Mr. Woodin was reared on his father's farm 
■|t and assisted him in the cultivation of the same 
• and in the maintenance of the family until he 
attained the age of 17 years. 

At this period in the life of our subject, the nation 
was aroused from her peaceful sleep of years by the 
rebel fire on Sumter, and the call went forth for loyal 
hearts and strong arms to battle for the perpetuity of 
the nation's flag. Mr. Woodin was one among the 
first to respond, and although only 17 years of age en- 
listed in Co. F, Ninth Reg. N. Y. Vol. Cav., and was 
assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He partici- 
pated in almost all the battles in which his regiment 
engaged during the campaign, the number being 52. 
Prominent among them were Williamsburg, Cedar 
Mountain, second Bull Run, Shenandoah, Culpeper, 
Stephensburg, Oakes' Hills, Cold Harbor, Bunker 
Hill and Winchester. He was taken prisoner at 
Philomont, Va., June 22, 1863, and was for a short 
time on Belle Island as a prisoner of war, but was soon 
paroled. He was not exchanged, but as retaliation 
for violation of the rules of exchange by Kirby Smith 
he was again placed in the ranks. 

At the battle of Winchester, Va., Mr. Woodin had 
four horses shot from under him, and was wounded 
in the left thigh by a collision of his horse with 
another. This happened Sept. 19, 1864, and on the 
i8th of July, 1865, he was honorably discharged. 

Mr. Woodin returned to Warren Co., Pa., after his 
discharge from the service, and remained for a short 
period, when he came to this State (whither his par- 
ents had removed during the war and located a 
homestead on section 17, Lincoln Township), arriv- 

^¥^^ ^^^ — "—^^Dfl 



ing here in the winter of 1865. He remained with 
his parents until the following spring and then went 
to Ionia County. He was married in that county, 
Jan. 13, 1866, to Miss Minty Holcomb, a native of 
that county, where she was born Sept. 15, 185 1, and 
where she had lived and received her education. 

Shortly after marriage, Mr. W. moved to this county 
and entered on the vocation of farming. He fol- 
lowed the same for a short time, then moved to 
Montcalm County, then to Ionia County, and finally 
returned to this county and purchased 40 acres of 
land on section 8, Lincoln Township, on which he is 
at present living. He has 35 acres of his farm 
under good improvement. Mr. W., politically, is a 
" National," and has held the minor offices of his 
township for several years. 

Mr. and Mrs. W. are the parents of three children, 
— Effie M., born Nov. 22, 1868; Jessie, born June 
20, 1874, and \rchie, Aug. 26, 1877. 

- * ,■ : — ^>jHHJH»^^^— ^ 

JijK,'® fl^ mos F. Drew, farmer on section 6, Union, 
^^^S^ was born Aug. 22, 1825, in Orangeville, 
^\^ Wyoming Co., N. Y., and is a son Nathaniel 
ilaT and Sally (Nichols) Drew. Both parents died 
in Pine River, Waushara Co., Wis. He lived at 
home until 22 years old. His first work for others 
than his father, was in a saw-mill in Summerhill, 
Crawford Co., Pa. Here he was employed two years, 
at $10 per month. Going then to New York State, 
he spent two summers in grafting fruit trees. The 
ensuing two or three years were spent in saw-mill 
work in Allegany Co., N. Y. He learned the car- 
penter's trade, at odd times, not serving any regular 
apprenticeship. He is a natural mechanic, and has 
worked with tools much of his life. 

In the fall of 1877, he came from Allegany Co., 
N. Y., and bought 60 acres, where he has since re- 
sided. His family arrived in September, 1878. 

Hewas married June 14, 1853, at Portage, Livings- 
ton Co., N. Y., to Miss Hannah, daughter of Hiram 
and Amy Hopkins. Of this marriage there have been 
born four sons and two daughters. George W. was 
born March 23, 1 854, in Allegany Co., N. Y. ; Charles 
F. was born in Crawford Co., Pa., June 23, 1857 ; 
Julia A. was born March 28, i860, in Allegany Co., 
N. Y., and died Dec. 30, 1864 ; Mary Ann was born 



I 






rl) 



m 




I 




(o 



% 



March 3, 1866, in the same county, and died Nov. 5, 
1870; Fred G. was born Nov. 6, 1870, in the same 
county ; John E. was born June 3, 1874, in the same 
county. 

Politically, Mr. Drew is a Republican. 

Dec. 15, 1861, he enUsted in Co. C, io4lh N. Y. 
Vol. Inf. He fought at Thoroughfare Gap, Catholic 
Station, and JSIanassas Junction, and was discharged 
Dec. 24, 1862, on a surgeon's certificate of disability. 
He again enlisted Dec. 20, 1863, in Co. F, 4th New 
York Artillery. He was wounded in the thigh, June 
18, 1864, in front of Petersburg, and, after a ten 
months' confinement in the hospital, he was finally 
discharged from the service, March 2, 1865. 



^ilas B. Richardson, farmer, section 30, Fre- 
mont Township, is a son of Asa P. and 
Jane (Staple) Richardson, the former of 
whom was born in Vermont, in 1797 ; followed 
farming and prospecting for land in the State 
"r of Maine; removed thence to Ohio in 185 1, 
first settling in Lorain County, two years afterward in 
Montgomery Township, Wood Co., seven or eight 
years after that in Jackson Township, same county, 
and finally with his children in this county. He 
died at his son Barnard's, March 30, 1870, and was 
buried in Fremont Cemetery. His widow was born 
in Maine in 1806, and is still living, with her chil- 
dren, all of whom are yet livfiig, twelve in number, 
four in Ohio and eight in Michigan. 

The subject of this sketch was born July 19, 1833, 
in Somerset Co., Me. In i860 he married Miss 
Catherine, daughter of Henry and Sarah (Ross) 
Hess, who was born Feb. 28, 1842, in Columbiana 
Co., Ohio. Her father was born in Pennsylvania, in 
1806, and is yet living, near Bowling Green, Wood 
Co., Ohio ; her mother was born in New Jersey in 
1817, and died Feb. 11, 1868, leaving six sons and 
three daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson have 
had seven children, all of whom are living, viz.: 
Henry A., Sarah J., John W., Silas B.. Ida L., James 
G. and Lillian E. 

In regard to national issues Mr. R. votes with the 
Republicans; has been Justice of the Peace since 
1874, School Inspector two years, and has held other 
school offices in his district, — in all, seven years. 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 




iVjharles F. Curtiss, fanner, section 8, Fre- 
mont Township, is a son of Waldo W. and 



^v- 






C"; 

X 



s^- 



te-v®>)$^^' 



-^^■^^f^ 



Margaret (tiee McCue) Curtiss. His father 
was a native of New York, where he was born 
in 1820, and his mother was born on the Em- 
erald Isle, in 1825, and died in Genesee Co., 
Aug. 14, 1875. His father was a cooper by 
trade, and also followed the occupation of farming, 
and died in the month of December, 1857. The 
grandfather of Charles F. was born June 9, r796, and 
is still living. His wife was born, Feb. 13, 1797, and 
has passed to the better land. 

Charles F., the subject of our biographical notice, 
was one of six boys, all living, who constituted the 
family of his parents, and was born in Oakfield, 
Genesee Co., N. Y., Nov. 15, 1857. He was reared 
on the farm, receiving the advantages afforded by the 
common schools. His father dying when he (Charles 
F.) was only al)0ut one month old, he contributed his 
earnings to the support of the family until the death 
of his mother. After her death, the six boys, being 
thrown on the cold charity of an unthinking world, 
went forth upon the road of time to fight the battles 
of adversity alone. 

April 5, 1880, Mr. Curtiss came to this State and 
engaged with his brother in fanning, which relation- 
ship existed for one year. He then, in 1881, pur- 
chased 80 acres of land on sections 8 and 9, Fremont 
Township, this county, known as the Thomas Will- 
iamson farm. He at once entered on the improve- 
ment of this land and by energy and industry has 
succeeded in placing 45 acres of the same in a good 
state of cultivation. 

Politically, Mr. Curtiss is an independent, and has 
held the office of Treasurer of his school district. 
Socially, he is a member of the Masonic Order and an 
esteemed and respected citizen of his township. 

Mr. Curtiss was wedded to the lady of his choice. 
Miss Mary Gannon, Feb. 20, 1876. She was bom 
May 3, 1856, in County Wexford, Ireland, and is a 
daughter of James and Anna (White) Gannon. Her 
father is still living, in the Emerald Isle, following 
the vocation of coachman for a livelihood and has 
been engaged in that occupation in his native land 
for a number of years. His children comprised four 



f^ 






-^^OO^tllli'^^ 



" kSi"^ 




i:^:ilDv> 



■r 



ISABELLA COUA'TV 



-:2J^i 



I^^C<iV(J^ 



249 



() 



) 




^ boys and two girls, two of whom are deceased. Her 
;15 mother died in the year 1865. 
■-> Mr. and Mrs. Curtiss are the parents of four chil- 

T dren, all boys: George W., born Nov. 26, 1876; 

'hj John A., born June 16, 1878; Waldo J., born March 
ro, 1S81, and Norman F., born Sept. 15, 1883. 



ohn Buthruff, farmer on section 5, Rol- 

land Township, is a son of David and 

sjj) l^^^*^ Nancy (Trayer) Ruthruff, natives of Penn- 
^ fM sylvania and Seneca Co., N. Y. The father 
was a part of his life a farmer, and a portion a 
common laborer. He came to Branch County 
this State, in 1851 and lived there until his death in 
1858. The mother died in the same county. Their 
family numbered nine, three of whom are not now 
living. 
/• The subject of this biographical notice was born 
\^ in Seneca Co., N. Y., Dec. 24, 1828, and remained at 
Q home until 18 years of age. He worked by the 
'^^ month two years and then for three years was in the 
° employment of Sam. Jones, near Lockport; after 
^ which he was for five summers engaged on the Erie 
S Canal. 

His next step, Jan. 11, 1852, was to form a life 
partnership with Miss Emily Comstock, who was 
born May 2, 1835, in Niagara Co., N. Y., and a 
daughter of Robert and Polly (McNeal) Comstock-. 
Her father was born Aug. 4, 1794, in Massachusetts; 
and her mother, April 30, 1799, near Bennington, 
Vt. The former died in 1841, in Erie Co , N. Y. 

After marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Ruthruff came to 
Branch Co., Mich., where they lived until 1868. 
They then lived one year in Lake County and a year 
in Millbrook, Mecosta County. For the ensuing two 
years he was interested in a saw-mill, after which he 
traded for 160 acres of wild land on section 5, Rol- 
land. He has now 74 acres improved, and good 
buildings. 

To the family have been added seven children : 

• William H.. born July 30, 1853; Adelbert, Nov. 15, 

'-?.^ 1857, and died March i, 1855; Charles M., June 

■\J 14, 1857 ; Edgar, June 15, 1861, and died Aug. 15, 

'A 1867 ; George W., May 10, 1864; Jay B., May i, 

; and Nellie L., June 9, 1873. 

Politically, Mr, R. is a Pemocrat. 






^ 



v.'^*>,c 



li-V®))$^# 



ji:.^^ 



ichard S. Stanley, farmer, section 19, Kre- 
^fl?. mont Township, is a son of Thomas and 
'■'ll\5^ Anna (Stowe) Stanley. They were both na- 

pT tives of Enaland, where the father was born 
I \n 1800, and the mother in 1805. In 1831, 
they emigrated to this country and landed at Phila- 
delphia, where the father was engaged in wagon- 
making and blacksmithing for 14 years. He then 
went to Lycoming Co., Pa., where he purchased two 
farms and a saw-mill, and cultivated the farms and 
ran the mill until the date of his death, in the spring 
of 1867. The mother died in 1881, on the old home- 
stead. 

Richard S. Stanley, the subject of this biographical 
notice, was born July 20, 1832, in Philadelphia, Pa. 
He passed his youth on the old homestead, working 
on the farm and attending the common schools. 
When he attained the age of 23 years, he engaged 
as a common laborer on a farm in the neighborhood, 
for one year. He then went to Williams Co., Ohio, 
in 1857, land worked liis uncle's farm for about three 
years. 

At this period in the life of our subject, the late 
civil war broke out, and he enlisted in Co. H, 18th 
U. S. Inf. His company was assigned to the Army 
of the Cumberland, and was under command of Gen. 
Sherman. It did not participate in any general en- 
gagement, but was in many skirmishes, and was 
finally discliarged near Covington, Ky.,in April, 1875. 

After liis discharge from the service, Mr. Stanley 
returned to Williams Co., Ohio. He remained there 
a short time, and then came to this county and lo- 
cated on 40 acres of land he had purchased from a 
Mr. Merrill, of Detroit, and on 80 acres which he 
homesteaded. He has since sold 40 acres and madj 
additional purchases, and is now the owner of 80 
acres, 70 of which is in a good state of cultivation. 

Mr. Stanley was first united in marriage, April 20, 
1859, with Miss Bethsua E. Wellman,born in Lorain 
Co., Ohio, in 1839. She died in 1868, leaving one 
child to the care of her husband, Florence ; and Mr. 
Stanley was a second time mariied, the Indy of his 
choice l)eing Miss Hannah M. Smitli, of Sandusky 
Co., Ohio, where she was born in 1858. She re- 
mained wife and mother until 1878, when she died, 



i 






mmm<y^- 



jM 



(^ !^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



.v>. 

1 



(|^ 







leaving three children — Cora A., Flora E. and Nellie 
E. — to their father's care. His third marriage was to 
Miss Jennie McSweyn, Dec. 7, 1881. She was born 
in Kenyon Township, Glengary Co., Canada, Aug. 
28, 1843, and has borne to Mr. .Stanley one child, a 
son, James, born Sept. 27, 1882. 

Mr. Stanley, politically, is a Republican. He has 
held the position of School Director of his district, 
and is a progressive farmer and respected citizen in 
his township. Mr. Stanley has been something of a 
traveler, having been in 13 States of this Union. 

'^'■fjlonzo W. Barnes, farmer on the south- 
<?ilii3^^^ west (juarter of the southwest quarter of 
SIl®J section 7, Union, was born in Winchester Co., 
Vt., Sept. 3, 1833. His parents died in Geneva 
Township, six miles south of Geneva, Ontario 
Co., N. Y., having moved to that State when Alonzo 
was eight years old. He was reared on his father's 
farm, and was 16 years old when he commenced at 
his trade of millwright, serving an apprenticeship of 
three years. He then worked in a saw-mill at Bucy- 
rus, Ohio, two years, wlien he went to Davenport, 
Iowa, and followed filing and sawing until the spring 
of 1857. Next he went overland to California, being 
exactly six months in crossing the great West. 

For one year he filed circular saws for a firm named 
Fuller Bros. He then purchased a half interest in 
a saw-mill at Sly Creek, Eldorado Co., Cal., where 
he and his partner, H. P. Neeland, were in the win- 
ter of 1861-2 "washed out," losing all their invest- 
ment by a flood. Going to Butte County, he v/as 
there interested in a hotel and trading post until the 
summer of 1865. He then returned lionie, on a 
ship, via Cape Horn. 

During his stay in the Golden State,'he made 
$250,000 in keeping hotel and furnishing supplies to 
miners. This snug fortune was soon lost in silver- 
mining speculations. 

After a three days' visit home he came to Saginaw 
and followed filing for Bliss Bros, for four years. 
The next three years he was similarly engaged for 
A. W. Wright & Co. April 3, 1882, he came to his 
present home of 45 acres, partially improved. 

He was married June 24, 1867, to Henrietta Van 
Horn, daughter of James and Leonora (Henderson) 



Van Horn. The. former is now living with our sub- 
ject, aged 62, and the latter died near Saginaw. 
Mrs. Barnes was born in Springfield Township, 
Wayne Co., Ohio, Aug. 5, 1849. 

Mr. B. is politically independent. He is now 
Moderator in his school district. 



'% 

I 

i 



arriet A (Marvin) Hawkins, resident on 
ih section 26, Lincoln Township, was born in 
Morrow Co., Ohio, July 3, 1837. She is a 
daughter of William and Sarah (Morrison) 
Marvin, natives of New York and New Jersey, 
respectively. The father was a tailor by trade, 
and moved to Sparta, Morrow Co., Ohio, about the 
year 1825, where he followed his trade. 

Harriet remained at home until she attained the 
age of ten years, when she was brought by her un- 
cle, Adam Hance, to tliis State, and in whose family 
she remained until she attained her i8th year. She 
then returned to her parents and lived with them 
until 22 years old. 

Dec. 20, 1859, she was united in marriage with 
Abraham W. Hawkins, a native of the State of Ver- 
mont, where, in Rutland County, he was born July 
3, 1833. After their marriage they came to this State 
and located on 80 acres of land in Lincoln Town- 
ship, this county. The land was heavily timbered, 
and they were compelled to cut a road to it through 
thi" thick woods before settling. Their experiences 
were similar to those of many others of Michigan's 
early pioneers. Obstacles and trials, deprivation 
and want encompassed them on every side, and yet 
they determinedly battled against and overcame 
them. The roads, at times, were absolutely impass- 
able. On one occasion, her brother was killed by a 
log in a "running jam," which struck him, and the 
roads to their farm were so bad that it was impossi- 
ble to convey the corpse to their abode. Yet, amid 
all the hardships, their faith in the future develop- 
ment of the county was impregnable. 

Of the Soacre farm on which they originally set- 
tled, Mrs. H. has 50 acres under good improvements 
and a good large barn. She is the mother of three 
children, one of whom is deceased. The two living 
are George B., born Jan. 7, 1861, and William W. 



A 



'>; 



V 



^ 



r© 

\1^ 



M 



■Ms 



■x^ 



^ 



rrr 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^^^s^ 



4^^^C(® 



^ 



A 



2 







born Oct. 17, 1864. Fletcher, born Oct. 6, i866, 
died Feb. 10, 1882. 

Religiously, Mrs. Hawkins is a member of the 
Free Methodist Church and holds a position of re- 
spect and esteem among the citizens of the township. 



erry H. Estee, farmer, section 18, Coe 
Township, is a son of Silas and Mary 
(Hodge) Estee, who were born in Salem, 

iy Washington Co., N. Y., married in that county, 

^ and in 18 10 moved to Erie Co., N. Y., where 
they remained until 1828; they then moved to War- 
ren Co., Pa., where he met his death by the fall of a 
tree, Nov. 17, 1842; she died April 4, 1878, at the 
residence of her daughter, Emily Tillotson, in Har- 
mony, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., at the advanced age 
of 91 years. In their family were three sons and 
three daughters, who are still living, inheriting a high 
degree of longevity. Their names are, Ansel, Alvira, 
Emily, John, Louisa and Perry H. 

The last named, the subject of this sketch, was 
born in Water Valley, Erie Co., N. Y., Sept. 9, 1824. 
His early education was obtained in the district 
schools of Warren Co., Pa., and he subsequently 
attended the Hamburg Academy in Erie Co., N. Y. 
When he was 17 years of age his father died and he 
started out in the world for himself. He was brought 
up in a lumber country, and for about three years he 
was engaged in various occupations. He taught 
three winter terms of school, in Erie Co., N. Y. He 
then bought 100 acres of land of the Holland Land 
Company, in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where he fol- 
lowed farming for about five years, when he sold the 
place, and, in the spring of 1854, went to Iowa in 
search of land, going a-foot about 85 miles west of 
Dubuque. After a sojourn of about three weeks in 
that part of the country, he re-crossed the Mississippi 
to Prairie du Chien, Wis., where he purchased a 
quarter-section of Government land. He spent the 
following summer at his home in Erie Co., N. Y., 
whither the family had removed from Chautauqua 
County. 

In the fall of 1854 he started for Michigan, coming 
by rail to Kalamazoo and thence on foot to Ada, 
Kent Co.; thence, on foot, in company with a cousin, 
to Muskegon County, reaching what is now Big 



Rapids when there were but two log shanties there 
Remaining over night at this point, the next day 
they reached the house of a lumberman named 
Utley, in Newaygo County, thence to Ionia; thence, 
in company with two men from Ohio, they started for 
Gratiot County, in search of land. Passing through 
the northern part of Clinton County, they met a party 
of 17 men returning from Isabella County, from 
whom they learned that all the land in this county 
was good; and as there were about 50 men already 
here making rapid selections, they had better hasten 
back to the land office at Ionia, make their entries, 
and then come and look up what they had entered- 
it would be safe. One of the party exhibited a plat 
of Coe Township. The advice was taken, Mr. Estee 
selecting the northwest quarter of section 18. The 
haste was so great that, although it was one o'clock 
in the afternoon and they had 16 miles to go, they 
went on foot and reached the land office at half past 
four o'clock, so as to be at the office before it closed 
for the day. 

Returning to Kent County and resting a day or 
two, Mr. Estee and his companion came on foot to 
Isabella County, and for 17 miles on the township 
lines they found not a house. The first night, there- 
fore, they camped, on the bank of the Salt River, 
during a storm of rain. Next day tliey found and 
examined their lands, and returned to the camping- 
ground, for the night. At this time they had but one 
biscuit for each left. 

Shortly after Mr. E. returned to Erie Co., N. Y., 
taught school the following winter, and in May, 1855, 
in company with another man, he started for his 
home in the forest. They came by boat to Detroit, 
rail to Pontiac, and stage to Saginaw, where he met 
A. M. Clapp, the original owner of St. Louis. He 
took a scow to what is now Midland, and a canoe to 
what is now St. Louis, arriving July 2, 1855. On 
the morning of the "4th " they started on the trail for 
Isabella County, reaching Coe Township by a cir- 
cuitous route. This day Mr. Estee cut the first tree 
on the northwest quarter of section 18. His nearest 
neighbor was a mile distant. 

He at once put up a bark shanty, 12 feet square. 
He then chopped ten acres of his land, and built a 
log house, which now stands on section 13, Lincoln 
Township. During the two and a half months he 
was engaged in the preceding work, he killed eigh 




\^ 






c-<>: 



Si/ 



t^ 



^^^>^f^ ^y^MnW<>^r9' 



'^m 




) 



'^ 



[G) 

\'^ 

'> deer, seven of them on section i8. When he com- 

/.■' . 

•:ii) pleted his log house he returned again to New York, 

^ for his family, and came by rail to Fentonville, Mich., 
T thence by stage to Saginaw and thence to Alma by a 
(hi rudely constructed boat, run by the late Gen. Ely. 
Their voyage hither was a tempestuous and danger- 
ous one. The boat was upset and the family had a 
narrow escape with their lives. They were two days 
in coming from Alma to their new home, with an ox 
team. He had previously cut out one mile of road 
south, and he afterwards cut out one mile east, on 
his farm. They reached the place Dec. 5, 1855. 

Mr. Estee helped to erect the first frame building 
in the county, namely, a saw-mill owned by John 
Reynolds on section 9. Since his arrival here he has 
disposed of 50 acres of his land, and of the remain- 
ing 104 acres all Imt 11 acres is in a fine state of 
cultivation. 

Mr. Estee was a member of the State Constitu- 
tional Convention of 1867, from the "Midland Dis- 
/\ trict," which then embraced the original counties of 
Midland, Isabella, Iosco and Alpena, with the terri- 
tories attached. He was elected Judge of Probate 
in i860, and held that office four years; was the first 
"l^ Township Clerk of Coe, and has been Supervisor of 
^f the township 13 years; was the second Supervisor, 
for three years ; was Chairman of the first Board of 
Supervisors, and was a member of the Board when 
this county was attached to Midland for two years, and 
removed the county seat to Mt. Pleasant, driving the 
first stake at that place ; has also been Justice of the 
Peace eight years ; Notary Public for a time, and for six 
years he was President of the Farmers' Mutual Fire 
/g^ Insurance Company of Gratiot and Isabella Counties. 
s>^ In the olden time he belonged to what was known as 
the "Abolitionist " party, and has been a Repulilican 
since the organization of that party. He and his 
wife are both members of the Christian Church. 

He was married in Eden, Erie Co., N. Y., Oct. 24, 
1848, to Miss Carrie E., daughter of Linus and 
Esther M. (Van Dusen) Dole, the former a native of 
Massachusetts and the latter of New York. Mrs. E. 
was born in Eden, Sept. 13, 1825. They are the 
parents of five children, namely: Linus D., Mary E., 
Free and Perry H., Jr., living, and Hattie M., who 
died Oct. 12, 1863, nearly ten years of age. 

The portraits of Mr. Estee and his estimable wife 
are given on previous pages. Those who have seen 



) 



\ 




this blooming county develop from swampy forests 
into a prosperous, well-inhabited region, through the 
labors of such men as P. H. Estee, will esteem this 
work the more highly for these permanent reminders 
of their familiar features. 



m. A. M. Hummel, farmer on section 12, 
Broom field, is a son of Gustav and Sophia 
vO (Fick) Hummel, natives of Prussia. (See 
sketch of Theodore Hummel.) He was born 
Dec. 18, 1855, in Prussia, and came with his 
parents to America in 1869. He has lived with them 
continuously to the present time, for three years in 
Oakland County and since 1872 in this county. 

In 1880 he was married to Louisa Newman, who 
was born April 30, 1858, in Prussia, and died Oct. 
28, 1883, leaving two children, — Lena M., born Aug. 
23, 1881, and Charles T., Oct. 27, 1883. Mrs. H. 
was the daughter of Charles and Louisa Newman, 
natives of Prussia, and now living in Ionia, this State. 
Mr. Hummel is politically a Republican. He has 
been Treasurer of his township two terms, and is now 
holding that oflice. He has also been Moderator of 
his school district. He is a member of the Lutheran 
Church. 

ewis Priest, farmer, section 14, Fremont 

Township, was a son of Dyer and Julia 

j/Afif^T (Todd) Priest. The former was born in 
^W Maryland, in 1817, and the mother in Ohio in 
rp 1820. The father follows the occupation of a 
\ farmer and is at present residing in Hillsdale 
County, this State. The mother died in Hillsdale, 
Hillsdale Co., Dec. 4, 1878. 

Lewis Priest, the subject of this notice, was born 
Aug. 30, 1839, in Licking Co., Ohio. At the age of 
21 years he enlisted in Co. H, First Mich. Sharp- 
shooters, which was assigned to the Ninth Corps of 
the Army of the Potomac. He participated in the 
battles of the VVilderness, Spottsylvania Court- 
House, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and others, and was 
present at the surrenderor Gen. Lee, April 9, 1865. 
After passing through the war and receiving no 



I 
I 



A 



^: 



1^ 



r 



^^f^ @7^^D fl :^ IlDi':>A:^^ ^^r:^ 



-^4)^^$<5^ 






m 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 









V 



wound of a serious nature, he was honorably dis- 
charged, in the cit)- of Detroit, April lo, 1865. 

After his discharge from the service he returned 
to the parental homestead in Hillsdale County, 
this State, remaining with his parents until the fol- 
lowing year, when he was united in marriage with 
Miss Louisa Baker, the date of their wedding being 
Feb. 2, 1866. She was a daughter of Josiah and 
Rachel A. (English) Baker. The father was born 
Aug 10, 1820, in Maryland, and the mother in Lick- 
ing Co., Ohio, Aug. 27, 1827. The father followed 
the occupation of a farmer, and is still engaged in 
that pursuit; and the mother died in Defiance Co., 
Ohio, Dec. 27, 1863. Louisa, the daughter, was 
born June 10, 1846, in Licking Co., Ohio. 

The husband and wife were the parents of three 
children, namely : George A., Dire Allen and Attie O. 
Mr. Priest came to this county in 1874 and locat- 
ed on 80 acres of land on section 14. He had faith 
in the future development of the country and devot- 
ed his time and energy to the clearing and improving 
of his land ; and, as a proof that "honest effort brings 
reward," he now has 50 acres of his land in a good 
state of cultivation and comfortable necessary build- 
ings. 

Politically, Mr. Priest is a Democrat, and socially 
he is an esteemed and respected citizen of his 
township. 



lexander Hall, boot and shoe dealer at 




\ '^(p9 Montgomery Co., N. Y., and is a son 
3 ""fif ander and Hannah (Smith) Hall. Hii 
•r was born in 1793, and died in 1864 



^ Mt. Pleasant, was born Dec. 17, 1838, in 

of Alex- 
lis father 
[864. His 
' mother was born also in 1793, and died in 
1868. The father was a manufacturer of boots and 
shoes, and the son learned his trade underhis super- 
vision. He spent two seasons as a carpenter and 
joiner, but finally determined to pursue the avenue 
of business in which he has since engaged. 

Mr. Hall remained in his native State during the 
life of his fatlier and niotiier, and in 1874 came to 
Mt. Pleasant, where he ojjened a shoi) for the prosecu- 
tion of his business, in which he has since been con- 
tinuously engaged. His trade is thriving, reiiuiring 
two assistants, and he carries a stock of goods esti- 



^ 



J 

»\-\ 






mated at $3,500. In 1877 he purchased 40 acres of 
land in Union Township, on section 15, of which he 
has platted 20 acres. It is situated in the south- 
eastern portion of Mt. Pleasant, and is known as 
Hall's Addition. He also owns his shop and a busi- 
ness lot on Broadway. 

Mr. Hall was married Dec. 26, 1864, in Minerville. 
Montgomery Co., N. Y., to Jane A. Jeffers ; she was 
born in Minerville, and is a daughter of William and 
Susan A. (Buchanan) Jeffers. Mr. Jeffers was born 
in r8o2 and died in 1882 ; his wife was born in 1809 
and died in 1861. Mrs. Hall was born Sept. 
5, 1846. Four children have been born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Hall, as follows: Francina, Sept. 28, 
1865; Jeffers C, May 8, 1873: Robert C, Sept. 3, 
1S79; GracieM., May 23, 1881. 




|fflteilliam H. Sa.Kton, liveryman and proprie- 

^jfl tor of the stage route between Loomis and 

fp and Gladwin, was born in Allegany Co., N. 

|t^ Y., July 22, 1839. He is a son of Silas and 
Amanda (Lee) Saxton, natives of Tompkins 
Co., N. Y. They removed to the State of Penn- 
sylvania, where the father died, April 9, 1880, and the 
mother in October, 1883. 

Mr. Saxton was 12 years old when his parents be- 
came residents of the Keystone State. He remained 
at home, acquiring his education, until he was 16 
years of age, when he came to St. Clair Co., Mich. 
He spent the first summer in fishing at Thunder 
Bay, and after that season he was engaged in lumber- 
ing until 1862. In the fall of that year he entered 
the military service of the United States. He enlist- 
ed in the 22d Mich. Vol. Inf , and served until July, 
1865, when he was honorably discharged at Detroit. 
His command was attached to the Army of the 
West, and he participated in all the engagementi in 
which his regiment was an actor. 

Immediately upon his discharge, he came to the 
county of Isabella and located at Mt. Pleasant, where 
he embarked in the grocery business. At the end of 
four years he sold out and passed the ensuing four 
years in lumbering. In 1872 he commenced learn- 
ing, and in 1875 he commenced operations in his 
present line. He obtained the mail contract between 
Mt. Pleasant and Clare, and ran a stage line in con- 



1^ 



k. 






^^^f^ — e^^in 11 § iiiiv>^ — ^'^f^ 



p'' 



t 



'■t-^ 

^ 



i^ 



(h 



t 




■^V^>I]D:^!]I1^> 



-7i!^&: 



4^^^@V<j! 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



nection with it two years, when he sold out his stage 
interests, retaining his livery business. In the sum- 
mer of 1883 he removed his interests to Gladwin^ 
where he now resides and is engaged in carrying 
the mail between Loomis and Gladwin. He is a 
Republican in jxjlitical sentiment. In 1876 he be- 
came proprietor of 40 acres of land in Union Town- 
ship, and has about 20 acres under cultivation. He 
also owns property in the village of Mt. Pleasant. 

Mr. Saxton was married Jan. 17, 1867, in Chippewa 
Township, Isabella Co., Mich., toLephaF., daughter 
of John and Sylvia (Ferris) Fraser. She was born 
July 9, 1847, in Jefferson Co., N. Y., and her parents 
were also natives of the Empire State. They are 
now residents of Mt. Pleasant. Nine children have 
been born to Mr. and Mrs. Saxton, seven of whom 
survive. Their names are Julia C, Nellie A., 
Emma M., Edwin F., Sylvia, Carrie E. and Eva. 
Two children died in infancy. 




•«%s4 



^^?w^ 



jilton L. Converse, farmer on section 12, 
Vernon Township, was born in Jefferson 
^ Co., N. Y., April 23, 1838, and is a son of 
Thomas D. and Elisheba (Kirkland) Con- 
verse, natives of New York and Connecticut 
and of New England parentage. The parents 
have followed farming as an occupation, and now re- 
side with their son in Vernon Township, this county. 
They are aged respectively 78 and 81 years, and 
enjoy good health. Tliey are faithful members of the 
Congregational Church, and hope for a future life. 

The subject of this sketch was reared on his fath- 
er's farm, and for four years attended the Belleville 
Academy in his native county. At the age of 23 he 
took charge of the home farm, which he cultivated 
five years. He then exchanged for village property 
in Pierpont Manor, same county, where he lived 
about two years. In 1871 he came to Isabella 
County, where his brother had previously located, 
and secured 80 acres on section 12, Vernon Town- 
ship, where he has since made his home. He has 
purchased 80 aces on section i, same township, and 
has 40 acres of his home farm improved, with suit- 
able farm buildings. 

He was married in the city of Oswego, N. Y, June 
gi, 1866, to Miss Jennie Moore, a native of Ireland, 



and a daughter of William and Jane Moore. She \ 
came with her parents to New York when young, (<i 
and there followed the occupation of a seamstress *, 
until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Converse have 
a son, Lucius M., born March 26, 1869, and a yf 
daughter, Lillian, born July 20, 187 i. 

Mr. C. is a Republican, and has held various 
school offices in his township. He is a member and 
Deacon of the Congregational Church, and his wife 
and daughter are also members of the same Church. 



f 
ames H. McFall, farmer on section 11, 

X'ernon, was born in Middlesex Co., Ont., 
Aug. 26, 1858, and came to this county 
with his parents when 19 years old, having re- 
ceived his education in his native county. 
Oct. 26, 1879, in Vernon Township, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Jane Baker, daughter of John and Julia 
A. C. (Sharp) Baker (see sketch of John Baker), /s 
She was born in Ontario, May 31, 1863, and came ==i 
to this county with her parents when only a child. 
She received a good common-school education in this 
county. Mr. and Mrs. McF. have one child, Mary 
J., born Jan. 18, 1883. 

They se'tled after marriage on an 80-acre farm on 
section i Vernon, given Mr. McFall by his father. 
Political ,', he is a supporter of the Republican party. 




(~ 



c< 



v/ 




enjamin F. 



Kyes, dealer in musical 
sewing-machines, etc., at 



|k: merchandise, 
"^ Mt. Pleasant, was born Feb. 5, 1854, in 



Sheridan Township, Calhoun Co., Mich., and 
is the son of Ransom and Harriet (Living- 
ston) Kyes. In 1855 his parents came to 
Isabella County, Mich., and settled in Coe Township. 
The father bought 200 acres of unimproved land on 
section 6, and the family were among the pioneer 
settlers of the township. They resided on the farm 
until 1 866, when they removed to the village of Mt. ' 
Pleasant, the father having been elected Sheriff of '•• ' 
Isabella County; and they continued their residence ^y 
there until 1872, when they returned to the estate in ^ 
Coe Township. ^*j 



r 



Mr. Kyes devoted his youthful years to the acqui- 



|-\®»$^<| 



%«- 



<>iin^nai>M 



Js^^J:-^ 



k^&-- 



m 



:#-■ 



^ 



~^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^^f(®\-{|i 



259 



sition of a good education and availed himself of the 
advantages afforded by the schools of Mt. Pleasant 
while his father's family resided there. After that 
event he taught two terms of school, and in 1875 
he commenced farming on 80 acres of land on sec- 
lion 5,ofCoe Township, and remained in that occu- 
pation until the fall of 1883, when he formed a 
partnership with O. W. Stebbins and established the 
business in which he is now engaged at Mt. Pleasant. 
Mr. Stebbins retired in April, 1884. His stock 
comprises a judicious selection of small musical 
instruments and organs, including the Chicago 
Cottage Organ and that manufactured by Kimavall 
& Co., of Grand Rapids ; also the White, Davis and 
Domestic Sewing-machines. 

Mr. Kyes was married June 27, 1875, at St. Louis, 
Mich., to Carrie A. Atkin, daughter of George and 
Sophia Atkin. She was born July 21, 1854, at 
Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. 






V ? 



•'^titsw^^^r'^—^ 



»^.s/zraTOv 



;ron. Alonzo T. Frisbee, residing at Oak 
I Grove, Livingston Co., Mich., State Senator 
l^ from the 20th District, and owner of one of the 
largest farms in Isabella County, was born in 
I Howell, Livingston Co., Mich., Oct. 12, 1840, 
and is the son of Ezra and Lucinda (Thomp- 
son) Frisbee, nalivesrespectivelyof Montgomery and 
Herkimer Counties, N. Y. The parents are now 
residing in Livingston County, with Mr. Frisbee. 

He received a good education through the facili- 
ties afforded by Michigan's admirable school system, 
and completed his education at the Howell High 
School with the highest honors of the institution. 
On arriving at the age of 21, his father told him he 
could work by the month on the farm, or pack his 
clothes and go out to make his own way in the world. 
He accepted a proposition made by his father and 
remained on the homestead until 28 years old. On 
settling up then with his father, he found there 
was coming to him the snug little sum of $2,000. It 
was during war time, with wages high. 

Having heard much of the prairies of Iowa and 
Minnesota, he planned a visit to them in 1870, with 
a view to settle in one or the other of those States. 



He therefore spent an entire summer in journeying 
over the prairies ; but after a thorough consideration 
of the circumstances, he determined to make his 
future home in his native Michigan. Returning to 
his father's, he remained until the Sth day of Novem- 
ber, 1871. In this year he came to Isabella C'ounty 
with the expectation of buying Indian lands, the 
Government having a short time previous given to 
the aborigines the title of their reservation \\\ 
severalty. But in this plan he was disappointed. 
He was a stranger, the Indians were suspicious, and 
he found it difficult to deal with them. 

Learning that the school section (16) in what is 
now Nottawa was good land, he took a surveyor 
from Mt. Pleasant by the name of Coburn, found and 
examined the land. After a week he returned to 
Lansing and purchased 400 acres on the section 
mentioned. Four years later, or on the 21st day of 
October, 1875, he returned to his purchase by way 
of Farwell, being piloted through the woods by a 
land-looker named Frye. He learned from this 
gentleman that a man named Dibble had moved in- 
to the neighborhood and was opening up a farm 
about two miles east of his land. 

Fixing the points of the compass well in his mind, 
he started for Mr. Dibble's. Finding the place, he 
told Mr. D. he had come to look over his land, with 
a view to improving it, and wished to stay overnight. 
He made Mr. Dibble's his home until he had built 
some log shanties, roofed them with basswood troughs 
and covered them with moss. This was his primitive 
home. A few weeks later he built a store, after the 
pattern of his house with the exception of a shingled 
roof, knowing that the troughs might be easily remov- 
ed and thieves break in and steal. 

As soon as possible he filled his store with goods, 
which he sold to the Indians and the few white settlers. 
In three years he had added to his original purchase 
440 acres of land and cleared, by the hel[) of the 
Indians, 160 acres. His first wheat crop yielded 23 
bushels per acre; and was put in without plowing, — 
simply sowed on the ground and dragged over three 
times. In the fall of 1878 his father desired him to 
return to the old homestead ; therefore, on the first 
day of April, 1879, he returned home to care for his 
parents in their declining years. Realizing that he 
owed to them a debt of gratitude he could never 
more than partially repay, he rented his farm and 
left for his old home, where he yet resides. 



i 



^? 



c^: 






t 



■^^^^^^ — ^::^m%m<^ 



U=5- 







■6VC^tl n ^ U^i>^f^ :2^^ 



-®®f7*^^^(®^' 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^ 






:-<$ 



V 



Mr. Frisbee has never married. He is an agree- 
able gentleman, of polished manners, and makes 
friends of all whom he meets. He was for three 
years Supervisor of Nottawa Township, and has also 
been for several terms Supervisor of Cohoctah Town- 
ship, Livingston County, where he resides. He was 
elected Township Clerk of his native township when 
only 2 1 years of age ; and this was followed by his 
being elected to the office of Supervisor the next 
several years in succession. Of the sixteen times 
his name has been before the people for their suf- 
frage, he has been successful thirteen times, 
although many times his party was in the minority. 

Mr. Frisbee is one of the pioneer Greenbackers of 
his State. He believes that law makes money, and 
not the material of which it is made. He holds that 
gold and silver is too expensive and cumbersome for 
money ; that money is not value itself but a repre- 
sentative of value; that the greenback was a repre- 
sentation of the best blood in our country spilled in 
its struggle to continue its existence, together with 
the best resouices of the people, and was a token to 
the people that they had done something for their 
Government, and was redeemable by each other and 
the last subject that held it — held the token of its 
worth in labor and material, to be redeemed in turn 
by his neighljor. 

With all of Mr. Frisbee's successes in life, he has 
had his misfortunes, principal among which was that 
caused by the tornado that swept over his farm in 
Nottawa on the igth day of September, 1878, which 
laid his farm in waste, destroyed his store by blowing 
it away in fragments, goods and all, and leaving no- 
thing but ruin and desolation behind. 



rvine M. Armstrong, farmer on section 6, 
!i Vernon Township, was born Nov. 30, 1849, in 
Peel Co.,Ont., and is the fourth of a family 
of 12 children. At the age of 15, he left his na- 
/•) tive county and went to Erin, Wellington Coun- 
ty, to learn the trade of shoemaking, under the 
instruction of a man named Archibald Thompson. 
vj, . Serving his three years, he returned home, and in 
^ the winter of 1869 came to Farwell, Clare County, 
^ his parents meanwhile locating in Isabella C'ounty. 
^ He started the first shoe-shop in Farwell, and had an 



excellent trade, manufacturing with his own hands as 
much as $100 worth of stock per month. Before he 
had driven the first nail he had orders for 40 pairs of 
boots, and his reputation as a workman was such 
that he frequently had orders from a distance of 40 
to 60 miles. 

Over-devotion to his business, together with night 
work, impaired his health to such a degree that in 
T875 he was obliged to withdraw from further pur- 
suit of that trade. His father dying a year later, he 
assumed control of the home farm, which . he has 
since cultivated. He has now one of the best farms 
in Vernon Township. Politically, he is a Republican. 



-13= 



m 



a^Ksijfs^K 



i)K illiam P. Towns, farmer and proprietor of 

iL oi a boardmg-house at Blanchard, is a son 

1107-, " of Thomas and Anna (Parson) Towns. 

^I'SiM' The mother was born in Hartford, Oxford 



Co., Me., March 12, 1795, and died in 1883, 
;^' at the advanced age of 88. The father was 
born in 1783 and died about 1849. He was a farmer, 
carpenter and shoemaker, and never moved from his 
native State. 

The subject of this record was born Jan. 29, 1828, 
in Hartford, Oxford Co., Me., and at the early age of 
10 was bound out to a farmer named Samuel Pills- 
bury. He remained with him ten years, receiving 
very unkind treatment. He had no schooling, and 
all his needs were neglected. After leaving Mr. 
Pillsbury, he worked in the lumber woods and then 
on the river. He was variously occupied until 1876. 
In the fall of that year he came to Grand Rapids, 
and in December following he came to Isabella 
(bounty. The three years ensuing he was foreman in 
the business of lumbering, in the employ of P. G. 
Blanchard, of Grand Rapids. He is the oldest set- 
tler of the village of Blanchard, having come before 
the first tree was cut towards starting a village. 

Mr. Towns was married April 17, 1856, at the age 
of 28, to Octavia L. Doughty, daughter of Elias and 
Louisa (Pool) Doughty. She was born in 1838, in 
the State of Maine, and died Sept. 3, 1866, having 
been the mother of two children : Carrie E., born 
July 8, i860, and Philip S., born April 9, 1864. Mr. 
Towns was subsequently married to Carrie M 



^ 






/S 



v>y 



(■■' 



r 

[ 



<.1 

V 



^Hti;'i>A^ ^^ 



r 

fe) —^— 

I 



z^^ — 6V<>llIi:t:nil>> 



•r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■>a^>W^ 



4J^^f(®^^^ 



261 



^ 



Flanders, who was born Feb. 17, 1842, in Kennebec 
Co., Me., the daughter of Samuel and Cynthia 
(McClure) Flanders, natives of the State of Maine. 
Mr. Flanders was a farmer, and worked in the woods 
in the winter seasons. In the late civil war he en- 
listed in the First Maine Heavy Artillery, jind he 
died in the service at Washington, D. C. Mrs. 
Flanders died April 14, 1870, in the State of Maine. 
Mr. and Mrs. Towns have one son, Frank L., born 
May 12, 1870, in Maine. 

Politically, Mr. T. is an earnest and influential 
Republican. 



si 1^ awrenee J. Petz, M. D., physician and sur- 
&|f geon, at Mt. Pleasant, was born May 12, 






>: 



V 



^ 



A 



^'^^&v 1854, in Bavaria. He is a son of Martin 
vJ(j and Teresa (Gess) Petz. His father was a 
/*j brewer by profession and died in the "Fader- 
t land" Aug. 26, 1876. The mother is still liv- 
ing, in her native country. 

Dr. Petz was early placed at school, in accordance 
with the custom of the class to whicli he belonged, 
and when he was nine years old began the study of 
Latin, to which he devoted five years. At 14 he be- 
gan a course of metaphysical study, which occu- 
pied two years, and he then entered upon his 
preparatory course of reading for his ;?rofession. He 
studied medicine five years at Munich, Bavaria, and 
was graduated Aug. 26, 1874. He practiced in 
Newberg and Straubing two years, and went to Rome, 
Italy, where he entered the Giovanni Maria Alfieri 
Hospital as physician and surgeon. After a stay 
there of 14 months he went to the Holy Land to 
study the symptoms of the febrile diseases incident to 
that location, and spent four months in that branch 
of medicine, and in the observation of small-pox. 
He went thence to France and practiced in the city of 
Paris until January, 1878. Duringthe period he was 
in France the Franco-Prussian war was in progress, 
187 1-3. He then came to the United States and spent 
a year in the Philadelphia University and Hospital, 
and received the credentials of that institution Feb. 
II. 1879, He then entered the hospital of the Cen- 
tral New York Eclectic Medical Society, and received 
(*; a diploma May 17, 1882. He spent upwards of a 
^ year at Utica, N. Y., as a medical practitioner, going 



thither in July, 1882. January 17, 1882, the U. S- 
National Institute of Eclectic Medicine at St. Louis, 
Mo., conferred a diploma upon Dr. Petz, and March 
2, 1882, he received a similar distinction from the 
College of Ludovicieuse in the same city. May 19, 
1880, the New York Pharmaceutical Association con- 
ferred upon him the honors of that organization. 

Dr. Petz came to Mt. Pleasant in the summer of 
1883, and has succeeded in establishing a prosper- 
ous business, which is gradually extending. He was 
married July 24, 1881, at East Syracuse, N. Y., to 
Josephine G. Sliandorf Mrs. Petz was born May 
15, 1858, at Manlius Station, Onondaga Co., N. Y. 
Josephine M., elder child of Dr. and Mrs. Petz, was 
born May 8, 1882, at Utica N. Y. Eleanora T. was 
born at Manlius Station Oct. 7, 1883. 



[t saac N. Shepherd, farmer and lumberman. 

Salt River, is a son of Robert and Ann 

(Leach) Shepherd, natives of England, who 

emigrated to this country about 1834, settling 

first in New England, and in Coe Township 

in January, 1856, where they remained until 

their death. Their children numbered eight, five of 

whom grew to be adults. 

The fifth son, the subject of tiiis sketch, was born 
in Vermont, Dec. 31 1840; when 13 years old he 
came with his parents to Hillsdale Co., Mich., and a 
year and a halfafterward,that is, in January, 1856, they 
came to Isabella County, where has since resided. 
He remained at home till 22 years of age, contribut- 
ing to the support of his fiarents. About i86r, he 
bought 80 acres of land in Coe Township. Since 
then he has bought and sold many tracts of land, 
and at the present time he owns about 2,000 acres of 
land, having about 250 acres under cultivation. In 
the summer of 1873 he built tiie residence which he 
now occupies: it is one of the finest in the county. 
He also owns and operates a lumber, lath and shin- 
gle mill in Chippewa Townsliip, which has a daily 
capacity of 30,000 feet of lumber, 40,000 shingles and 
20,000 lath. He is also interested in the Lansing, 
Alma, Mt. Pleasant & Northern Railroad, being a 
director in the company and a member of the exec- 
utive committee. 



V® 



A 






Mr. Shepherd is a member of the Masonic Order, 



-|^^Jf^X^|) 



■v^\imu^>T 






262 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






i 
f 



'I 



of the Baptist Church and of the Prohibition party. 
He was married in Jackson Co., Mich., Jan. 3, 
1864, to Catherine, daughter of John and Rachel 
(Sloat) Neely, who were natives of New York. Mrs. 
S., who is also a sister of Mrs. James Campbell, 
was born in Jackson County, Mich., July 8, 1838, 
and she has become the mother of five children, 
namely : John L., Jennie L., Franklin S. (who died 
Tune 4, 1883, aged 14), Annie R. and William I. N. 



Sftlialiidrew M. McKay, farmer on section i, 
1^ Vernon, was born m County Derry, Ireland, 
March 17, 1843, and is a son of John and 
Sarah (Dowling) McKay. His father was in 
K' Ireland a raiser and manufacturer of flax, etc., 
1 and in 1846 he came to Canada. There he 
purchased a large farm, on which he resided until 
his death, Feb. 26, 1884, at the extreme age of 95. 
He was one of the earliest settlers of Simcoe Co., 
Can. His wife is yet living, at the age of 93. Of 
their nine children seven grew to be adults. Andrew 
M. was next to the youngest of the family. 

He was but three years old when the family came 
across the ocean, they being about six months on 
the water. He was educated in the common schools 
of Simcoe Co., Can., until 1 6 years old, when he served 
a three-years apprenticeship to a carpenter named 
William Lenox. Low prices being paid carpenters 
at that time, he returned to the farm for four years, 
during which time he was married. He then worked 
in saw-mills, most of the time as head sawyer. In 
the summer of 1879, he came to this State, and 
stopped at Clare until he could build a house on 80 
acres he purchased on section i, Vernon. He has 
now improved 45 acres. Some of his farm buildings 
were built by his unaided hands. 

Sept. 7, 1863, was the date of his marriage to 
Miss Margaret McKee, daughter of James and Mary 
J. Murdock. They were natives of Ireland, where 
the daughter also was born July 27, 1842. The 
family came in 1848 to Ontario, where the parents 
are yet living, on a farm, aged|respectively 70 and 65. 
Mr. and Mrs. McKay are the parents of five chil- 
dren, — Mary J., born June 17, 1864; James A., Feb. 
19, 1866; William O., April i8, 1867; Margaret E., 
March 25, 1869; and Edmund J., Aug. 18, 1870. 



?|^V^^«^f|« 



^ 



Mr. McKay is a member of Farwell Lodge, No. 
355, F. & A. M., and is politically a Republican. 
He and wife are members of the Presbyterian 
Church. 



fmffli/^^''''^^^^ Doxsie, farmer on section 22, Rol- 
?:i[6^H|(_ land, is a son of Samuel and Phebe 
;lli?*y ^ (Young?) Doxsie. The father was born 
pK in the State of New York, July 6, 1815, and 
has followed farming all his life. He was mar- 
ried in Ontario, Can., in 1837. Coming to 
Michigan, he has lived for 30 years in Eaton County, 
where he reared three of his children. His wife was 
born in New Jersey. June 21, 18 18, and died in 
March, 1881. They had in all eleven children, three 
of whom are dead. The oldest son died at Detroit, 
of wounds received in the army. 

The subject of this sketch was born at Norwich, 
Ont., May 2, 1842, and lived at home until within 
two days of his majority. He then left home, send- 
ing his father $5 for the two days' time, and worked 
for two years at laying a stone wall in Calhoun Co., 
Mich. During the war he served in the Quarter- 
master's Department at Nashville, Tenn. He was 
not an enlisted soldier, but was paid by the Govern- 
ment. Returning to Michigan, he lived eight months 
in Eaton County and then, in 1865, came to Isabella 
and located on 160 acres of wild land on section 22, 
Rolland. He has now 80 acres, including 40 acres 
well improved. 

He was married Sept. 3, 1868, to Angeline Peter- 
son, who was born May 24, 1850, in Tuscarawas, 
Co., Ohio, the daugliter of William M. and Mary A. 
(Richardson) Peterson, natives of New Jersey and 
Ohio. Mr. Peterson was a carpenter and joiner 
until he came to Michigan, since when he has fol- 
lowed farming and lumbering. He now resides in 
Deerfield Township. Mr. and Mrs. Doxsie have two 
children of their own, — Ella M., born June 21, 1869, 
and Lillie E., born May 29, 187 1; and an adopted 
son, Peter S., born Oct. 27, 1878. 

Mr. D. has been Township Clerk two years. Town- 
ship Treasurer one year. Supervisor four years, suc- 
cessively, tlien School Superintendent two terms and 
Supervisor two years more, being the present incum- 
bent. He has also been a Justice of the Peace seven 



g 



ve 



i 



<.v. 



V 



/r 






C^lll|S;llll-i>*:^ 



I 






ra^gsK — ©^-11 n K n B> >r 



">iWi^i^^i<" 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



265 "S 




/Os 



^ years, and a Notary Public six years. He was com- 
■0 missioned a Notary by Gov. Bagley in March, 1875, 

«'J» and by Gov. Jerome in July, 1881. He is a member 
* of the Republican party. He has belonged to Lan- 

.'hj sing Lodge, No. 33, Grand Ledge Loge, No. 179, and 
Wabon Lodge, No. 305, F. & A. M. 



ev. Robert P. Sheldon was one of the 
most prominent pioneers of Isabella County, 
and one of the few that will be longest re- 
membered by those whose interest is warm in 
early days. He was born in Canada Aug. 27, 
1806, and his parents were also natives of the 
Dominion. At an early period in his life, however, 
the family removed to the State of New York. The 
father being in limited circumstances, was not able to 
afford Robert a liberal education, and the latter 
'* gathered up the crumbs of learning as well as he 
could, in the face of obstacles smiliar to those that 
E=r have risen up in the path of many noble, self-made 
."^' men. He had no trade, and he worked by the month 
E3 as a farm laborer most of the years of his youth, at a 
SV time of life when similarly gifted young men of this 
generation are preparing for life in the high school 
or college. 

At the age of 18 he was married to Miss Amy 
Marsh, a native of the Empire State. She possessed 
an intelligent, well-trained mind, and was of great 
assistance to her husband in improving his scholar- 
ship. Becoming imbued with the idea that he was 
i divinely called to preach the Gospel, he bought 
•) books as fast as he could afford them, and improved 
3 his leisure hours in study. After some years he was 
licensed as an exhorter in Ohio, and several years 
later he was ordained as a minister. Beginning at 
Bucyrus, in the Buckeye State, he labored in the 
cause of Christianity for a number of years on both 
sides of the Ohio River. In the fall of i860 he 
turned his course northward, and selected Isabella 
County as his home. Here he devoted the remain- 
der of his life to his chosen calling. He was the 
father of Metiiodism in this section, and by unani- 
mous desire his name, together with that of tlie first 
Presiding Elder of this Conference, is placed in the 
memorial window of the handsome Methodist Epis- 
f copal church at Mt. Pleasant. On his first arrival 



^ 






^V®»«^^- 



J3>^i. @r^: 



he bought 80 acres in Coe Township, which he after- 
wards sold, and he purchased another tract of e([ual 
size in Chippewa. He disposed of half this land, 
and at the time of his death 20 acres were in culti- 
vation. He remained up to the close of his life faith- 
ful and enthusiastic in his ministry, and nothing 
ordinary would prevent his promptly filling his 
numerous appointments, to do which required fre- 
quent long journeys on foot, over logs and tree-tops 
and swamps. His health gradually failed, but he 
made no pause in his work until about six months 
previous to his death. His departure to his final and 
enduring rest occurred at two o'clock in the morning 
of Oct. 17, 1882. 

By his first marriage he had five children, of whom 
three survive. Their names are Ansel L., Huldah 
M. and George N. His wife dying Aug. 20, 1854, 
he was again married March 20, 1855, in Wheat- 
land, Hillsdale Co., Midi., to Mrs. Susanna Mc- 
Dowel, daughter of John and Susanna Kinzie, who 
were natives of Switzerland. She was born at Berne, 
in that rocky republic, and was first married to John 
McDowel, in Seneca Co., Ohio, by whom she bore 
two children. Of these. Otto survives. Mr. Mc- 
Dowel died in Canada, at the hands of an assassin. 
To Mr. Sheldon's second marriage there were given 
seven children, of whom the five survivors are named 
Charles O.. Eugene P., Jesse F., Franklin B. and 
.Alice R. Two died in infancy. 

In Mr. Sheldon's portrait, which appears on a pre- 
vious page, our readers will recognize one of nature's 
noblemen, a man who was as universally beloved and 
respected as any pioneer of this county, and one 
whose true worth cannot be too highly lauded, or 
whose memory cannot be too carefully cherished by 
the future generations. 



ames Armstrong, farmer on section 6, Ver- 
- non Township, was born in Peel Co., Ont., 
Aug. 13, 1844, and is a son of John and 
Mary Ann (Baker) Armstrong, natives of Ire- 
land and Canada. 
The parents were married in Peel Co., Ont., 
and came to Michigan in March, 1869, locating in 
Vernon Township, this county, among its first set- 
tlers. The father was for many years a school-teach- 

5^ niii^jL^ — ^ss^fL 




J 



^ 



A 

. *' 

1=1 

T — r 
\ 



ff 



/p-' 



I 




■i^;f»- 



rz^Ps- 



.i'^ 



<my=imi> 



"T" 



ISABELLA COV^JTY. 



-:^^psr 



T 






>^ 



v 

> 



k 



\ 






er in Ontario, and taught one district school 14 terms 
in succession. He died in Vernon, Nov. 12, 1875, 
aged 66 ; the mother hves with her son, Irvine, and 
is now in her 62d year. Their family numbered 12, 
of whom II are alive, and all residents of this State. 
James is the eldest. 

He lived at home until 16 years old, alternately at- 
tending school and working on the farm. At that 
age he commenced to work out, and he was in the 
employ of various neighbors until 24 years old. In 
May, 1 868, he came to Michigan and secured 95 acres 
on section 6, Vernon. He at once set about making 
a home, clearing his farm and raising grain, which 
product was in steady demand among lumbermen 
and railroad contractors. He has now 39 acres im- 
proved, out of the 50 acres which he retains. 
Losing his health in a measure, from malarious 
influences, he followed the carpenter's trade from 
1871 to 1874, in which latter year he resumed farm 
work. 

He was married at Stanton, this state, Nov. 21, 
1876, to Miss Louise J. Hinds, daughter of Ansel C. 
and Emily J. (Pepper) Hinds, natives of Pennsylva- 
nia, and of English descent. Mr. Hinds was by oc- 
cupation a farmer, and while chopping a tree in 
Montcalm County, this State, a dead tree near by fell 
upon his head, producing instant death. Mrs. Hinds 
now lives at Stanton. Mrs. Armstrong was born in 
Bradford Co., Pa., Oct. 10, 1858, and came with her 
parents to Montcalm Co., when five yearsold. She was 
educated at the public schools of Stanton, and lived 
in that county until her marriage. Three children 
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. A., two of whom are 
living. These are Clarence R., born July 9, 1879; 
and Emily F., born Aug. 30, 1881. Maud was born 
Jan. I, 1878, and died the same day. 

Mrs. A. is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. 
Armstrong is politically a Republican, and has for 
three years been Justice of the Peace. 



illiam K. Robbins, merchant, Salt River, 
^j is a son of Marcus and \my (Robinson) 

f"^ ' Robbins, the former a native of Wethers- 
' field. Conn., and the latter of Rhode Island. 
They first settled in Washington Co., N. Y., 
ivhere he (Marcus) followed the occupation of 
joiner, and resided until his death. After the latter 



V 



I: 



Z^. 



event Mrs. R. went to live with her daughter in the ^ 
same county, where she remained until her death. ■■■' 
In this family were ten children, nine daughters and / ■ 
one son. 

William R., the only son, and subject of this 
biographical notice, was born in Washington Co., N. 
Y., Aug. 24, 1806, and remained at home until of 
age, obtaining a common-school education. Then, 
for one year, he carried on his father's farm, on 
shares. Next he learned the carpenter and joiner's 
trade, which he prosecuted nearly 40 years. His 
last job in that line was the erection of the Baptist 
church at Salt River, striking the first and the last 
blow in the building of that edifice. From Washing- 
ton Co., N. Y., he moved to Milwaukee Co., Wis., 
where he worked at his trade one summer. In the 
fall of 1855 he came to this county and settled on 
320 acres of wild land, on section 21, Coe Township, 
which he had purchased the preceding spring. 
After residing there five years, he sold the place and 
bought another 320 acres, on sections i6 and 17 In 
1874, he sold this and bought si-x acres on section 16, 
where he built a frame house, which he still owns. 
He also owns the building which he occupies, and 
carries on a flourishing business in general merchan- 
dise. 

Mr. Robbins has held the office of Supervisor of 
Coe Township for three terms. Township Clerk three 
years. Justice of the Peace two terms, and Constable 
for a short time. He was appointed Notary Public 
soon after his settlement in this county, which office 
he now holds. He was appointed Postmaster 
under President Buchanan's administration in the 
spring of 1856 — the first Postmaster in this county — 
and held the office for 14 years, when he resigned. 
From the foregoing date one may observe that Mr. 
R. is a very early pioneer of Isabella County ; and as 
a citizen he has been very prominent. During the 
panic and famine of 1857, he was appointed agent for 
the county to solicit aid for the people, and bonds of 
the county to the amount of $1,500 were placed in 
his hands for disposal. Only one bond, of $500, (^ 
however, could be negotiated, but the proceeds pre- 
vented the people from starving until their crops 
could be harvested. While attending to the above 
business, Mr. R. bore his own expenses. In religious 
matters he is a prominent member of the Baptist 
Church, and in political affairs he is a Republican. 

Mr. Robbins was first married in Granville, Wash- 






V^»f^^-« 



^:^>€^ — ^^^n B ^ iiiif>M=^ — ^^e^^f^ 



-»S7^^® 



t-i^:. 



m 



i^*~ 



Tdm^my^^ 



■ 'v^ V:-.*ir- 



/.. 



-J 



/<\ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



367 "^ 



ington Co., N. Y., Aug. 28, 1857, to Miss Catherine, 
daughter of James and Catherine (Wiley) Grant, 
who were of German and Irish ancestry. Mrs. R. 
was born in Granville, N. Y., Oct. 12, 1808, and 
died June 22, 1847. The children by this 
marriage were Cordelia C, James W., Mary E., 
Sidney, Amy and William R. James W. died 
in Dover, Del., June 27, 1876. The remainder of 
the children are married and settled in life. Mr. 
Robbins was again married, in Rensselaer County, 
N. Y., Nov. 10, 1847, to Miss Lydia, daughter of 
Francis and Sally (Eggleston) Robinson, natives re- 
spectively of Rhode Island and New York. She 
died Oct. 7, 1870, in Coe Township, and Mr. R. 
married for his third wife (in Hampton, Washington 
Co., N. Y.), Dec. 26, 1870, Miss Juliette, daughter of 
Thomas Wilson, natives of New York State. She 
was born Aug. 14, 1828. 



^^^Hf heodore Hummel, farmer on section 12 
Jrf^^l Broonifield Township, is a son of Gustav 
f^M^'^ and Sophia (Fick) Hummel, natives of 
W> Prussia. The father was born March 8, 1812, 
and was a shepherd in the old country. He 
came to America in the year 1869 and located 
in Oakland County, this State, where he lived three 
years. He then came to Isabella County and settled 
where he now lives, with his son William. His wift 
was born March 16, 1812. 

Their son Theodore was born Feb. 18, 1841, in 
Prussia, and lived at home until r4 years of age. 
He then worked by the year as a shepherd for differ- 
ent parties, until 1869, when he came with his par- 
ents across the waters. He bought 80 acres where 
he at present lives, 50 being now under cultivation. 

He was first married in 1865, to Mary Prest, who 
was born in 1838 and died in i86g. He was again 
married in ^870, to a sister of his first wife. She 
was born in 1844 and died in r877, leaving five 
children, — Minnie, born June 18, 187 i ; Frank, Sept. 
27, 1872; Emma, April 19, 1874; Margaretta, May 
27, 1876; William, May 28, 1877 (died in Septem- 
ber following). His present wife, Fredrica (Fowl- 
man) Hummel, was born in Macomb Co., Mich., 
Dec. 2, 1855, the daughter of John and Minnie (Ciine) 
Fowlraan, Mr, and Mrs. F. are yet living, in 

W- )^r^-^ ^^^^ — ^t^(^m 



Macomb County. Three children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, — Eddie, Sept. 20, r878; 
William, July 28, 1880; and Mary, June 2, 1882. 

Mr. H. is a Republican and has been Assessor of 
his school district several terms. He and wife are 
members of the Lutheran Church. 






K^ 




A 



%' 






if ames C. Caldwell, proprietor of Two Rivers 
Hotel, Deerfield Township, is a son of Moses v , 
and Lucy (Hotchkiss) Caldwell, the former a a^^- 
native of Massachusetts and the latter of New 
York. After residing a while in the Bay State 
they lived seven years in Pennsylvania, 20 
years in Massachusetts again, a short period in the 
Keystone State the second time, and settled finally 
in Oakland Co., Mich , in 1840. He died at the ad- 
vanced age of 92 years, and she at the age of 86. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Worcester 
Co., Mass., Aug. 2, 1818, received his education at 
the common school, and at the age of 15 went with 
his parents to Pennsylvania. In 1840 he came to 
Michigan and worked a season in Oakland County, 
then two years in Macomb County, then purchased 
and carried on for three years a farm in Oakland 
County, sold, and rented different farms about five 
years, then rented a farm for seven years in Clinton 
County, in the meantime purchasing a farm which 
he ovv'ned but a short time, and in the spring of 1863 
came to this county and bought a quarter-section of 
land in Fremont Township, lived there till the fall of 
1878, when he sold and bought a farm of 60 acres in 
Deerfield Township, on section 10. He now has 38 
acres in a state of good cultivation. In May, 1882 
he started the Two Rivers Hotel, which he has since 
kept, except the summer of 1883, when he was visit- 
ing in Ohio. 

Mr. Caldwell was Siipervisor of Fremont Town- 
ship one year, Township Clerk one year. Township 
Treasurer one year. County Superintendent of the .^ 
Poor three years, and has held many other offices, 'v- 
In politics he acts with the Republican party, and in ;■ 
social matters he is a member of the Order of Good '-.•' 
Templars. 

Mr. Caldwell was first married in Macomb Co., 
Mich., May r4, 1843, to Miss Nancy Russell, a na- 
tive of New York State, who died Aug. 8, T877. 






V 



T^^^^isr 



268 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'^ 



'^ 



o 




m 



Their five children were, Roscoe M., Arthur B., 
Irene V., Ada A. and Ella May. The eldest was 
killed in the battle of Cold Harbor; Ada died when 
one year old. July 28, 1878, Mr. C. married Mrs. 
Harriet L. Duttler, widow of Peter Duttler and 
daughter of Jason Streeter. She died Oct. 16, 1883. 
Feb. 27, 1884, he married for his present wife Mrs. 
Sarah Griswold, widow of Robert Griswold and 
daughter of David and Mary Ann (Thompson) 
Graves. She has by her first marriage a daughter, 
Florence, now the wife of Robert Riley, of Cleveland, 
Ohio. 



arren Wardwell, general farmer and black- 
smith, section 5, Lincoln Township, was 
born in Ledyard, Cayuga Co., N. Y., Sept. 
4, I S3 1. His parents, Lemuel and Betsey 
(Whitmore) Wardwell, were natives of New 
England, of English and Scotch ancestry. Mr. 
Wardwell, Sr., was a farmer, and died in Scipio, Hills- 
dale Co., Mich., in February, 1859; and the latter is 
still living, in Lincoln Township, this county, aged 
74 years. 

Warren, the subject of this sketch, lived in his 
native county until nine years old, when the family 
made a removal to Seneca Co., N. Y. When 17 years 
old, in 1848, he left home and returned to his native 
county and for a year and a half followed his trade as 
blacksmith, which he had learned under the superin- 
tendence of Levi Elmendorff, at Waterloo, Seneca 
Co., N. Y., serving as an apprentice two years. While 
in Cayuga County he worked for Hiram Finch, at 
Springport. Returning again to Seneca County, he 
re-engaged himself to Mr. Elmendorff", as a "jour." 
Afterward he went to Wayne Co., N. Y., and estab- 
lished a general blacksmith shop, which he con- 
ducted two years; then he worked as a journeyman 
two years in Lock Berlin, same county. In January, 
1855, he went to Red Creek, Cayuga County, and 
worked for a Mr. Toole until September, 1856; then 
he followed his trade until next year at Seneca Falls. 

In April, 1858, he came to this State and settled at 
Litchfield. Hillsdale County, where he worked at 
blacksmithing for Chauncey Calhoun; from 1859 to 
1 86 1 he carried on a shop of his own , and in the 
fall of the latter year he moved to this county, 




"squatting "on a quarter-section of wild land, on 
section 5, and " homesteading it " in 1863. He was 
three weeks making the journey to this county, com- 
ing with three wagon loads of goods. On arriving 
here there was no building within two mites of him 
excepting a deserted hunter's shanty, in which he 
lived three weeks, while erecting a cabin on his own 
place. The shanty was made of poles and roofed 
with bark, and was barely large enough to contain 
them and their goods. The township was yet not 
organized, and the first permanent settlement was 
three miles away. It ret[uired five days to go to St. 
John's or Ionia, to secure provisions. He disposed 
of 80 acres of this place to his brother, to apply on 
services rendered in the war, and nearly all the re- 
mainder is improved and in good farming condition. 
Of the whole original tract he cleared about a hun- 
dred acres. 

Dec. 29, 1849, in Wayne Co., N. Y., Mr. Ward- 
well married Miss Mary, daughter of Peter and 
Serena (Scott) McQueen, natives of Wayne Co., N. 
Y., of English, Dutch and Irish ancestry. Mrs. W. 
was born also in that county, March 20, 1827. They 
have no children, but have an adopted daughter, 
Estella G., who was born Sept. 6, 1869. 

Mr. W. was Road Commissioner in 1865-6; in 
political matters he is a Republican, and, with his 
wife, is a member of the Christian Church. 

Ifred J. Doherty. teacher, real-estate and 
insurance agent, and present Principal of 
jji^ the public school of Clare, was born in 
"vf)f New York city May i, 1856. His father has 
'[', been a lumberman most of his life, and, with 
his wife, now resides in the State of New York. 
When a child, Alfred came with his parents to Defi- 
ance Co., Ohio. There and in Paulding County the 
father followed lumbering extensively and profitably 
for a number of years, when he moved back to Alle- 
gany Co., N. Y., where he owns a large farm on the 
Genesee River. 

The subject of this biography was educated in the 
seminar)' at Belfast, N. Y., and later in Bonaventura 
College, where he was graduated in 1876. The fol- 
lowing year he was married, and for a time afterward 
he followed farming. He came to Clare, Michigan, 







y^' 



A 



1 — r 



r 



S 
^ 



m. 






T2s€^^s: ^V<>nB^IinV><r 



4^^f®^.l:^ 



A 



>. 



"^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



in 1878, and has since been identified with the his- 
tory of that growing village. He owns 40 acres in 
Grant Township, and has one of the finest and best 
arranged residences in the village, the same costing 
$3,000. He is a shrewd business man and a com- 
petent teacher. He has held seme school office ever 
since coming to Clare, has been one of the Board of 
School Examiners, and County Superintendent of 
Schools. He has been a member of the Village 
Council for four years and a Notary Public for some 
time. Politically, he is an active and influential 
Republican. He is a member of Clare Lodge, No. 
^^^, I. O. O. F., and is Secretary of the same. 

His marriage occurred July ii> 1877, at Belfast, 
N. Y., to Miss Alice B. Gleason, daughter of Red- 
ding and Eunice (Scott) Gleason, natives of Vermont 
and of New England parentage. The father, a 
farmer, died in 1866. The mother lives now with 
her daughter, at Clare. Mrs. Doherty lived with 
her parents in her native county until her mar- 
riage. She is the mother of three children, — Floyd 
E., born Feb. 1,1;, 1878; Francis B., March 14, 1880; 
and Eliza B., March 31, 1883. 



^^Sf-i^S'w h 




E. Lyon, memlierof the firm of Hopkins & 
Lyon, Mt. Pleasant, is a son of David S. 
and Iva L. (Chase) Lyon ; and was born 
in Knox Co., Ohio, March 21, 1841. He was 
reared on a farm, received a good common- 
school education, and also attended the Halcyon 
Academy at Hartford, Ohio. He taught school 14 
terms. 

In the fall of 1864 he came to Isabella County 
and bought 120 acres on section 7, Union Township. 
He now owns 200 acres, 125 of which are under cul- 
tivation. The farm is now under the charge of liis 
son-in-law, W. R. Hatch. He has lived in this 
county since his first coming, except from 1865 to 
1869, when he was in the State of Ohio. His three 
children are Wesley C, on the farm ; Gertie A., wife 
of W. R. Hatch'; and Carrie E., at home. 

In the spring of 1871 he was elected Supervisor of 
Union Township, and in the fall of 1872 he was 
elected County Clerk, which office he filled five years. 
During this term he assisted in making a set of 
abstracts of Isabella County. He has had ten years' 



experience in abstract-making, first in the employ- 
ment of I. E. Arnold, then Arnold & Upton, then 
Upton & Hance; which firm, and Brown & Seaton, 
he succeeded in business. Jan. i, 1883, he formed 
his present business connection with Hon. S. W. 
Hopkins, and they now do a large business in real 
estate, insurance and loans. 



It^ftr Sherman, is a son of Jeremia 
1?^'"'' (Griffith) Denslow, natives of 






Si^^^^:. 



;l erome H. Denslow, farmer on section 18, 
ah and Desire 

^.^ , , , -_ofthe State of 

f ^ New York. Jeremiah Denslow was born in 
ir 1801, and died in Lenawee Co., Mich., Feb. 13, 

\ 1875. His wife was born in 181 1, and died in 
the State of New York, in 1880. 

Their son Jerome was born Oct. 4, 1836, in Chau- 
tauquaCo., N. Y., and at the age of ig left home, C >^ 
went to Jamestown, N. Y., and worked in amanufac- s ' 
tory for two years. In 1858 he went to Chicago and K^_ 
was employed by E. Wood in fitting grain crates for ^ 
use. Returning to New York, he shortly came to ^ 
Livingston Co., Mich., where he lived four years. ^ 
During his stay there, Sept. 27, r859, he was mar- ^ 
ried to Miss Asenath Savage, who was born Jan. 9, ^ 
1834, in Carrollton Township, Genesee Co., N. Y., ^ )) 
the daughter of William and Urina (Sprague) Sav- 
age, natives of New York. Mr. S. was born in 1806 
and died in August, 7881, and Mrs. S. was born in 
1797 and died in 1841. 

Mr. Denslow enlisted in the navy during the late 
war, and was on the "R. P. Cuyler." His vessel was 
engaged at Fort Fisher, N. C, and was occupied in 
cruising along the coast for rebel boats. He was 
discharged June 7, 1865, at Norfolk, Va., went on 
board the receiving ship "Constellation, " and return- 
ed to his parents in New York. He soon after re- 
moved to Lenawee Co., Mich. In 1877 he came to 
this county and located on section 22, Sherman. A 
year and a half later, he settled on his present place. 
He owns 200 acres, of which 30 are improved. 

His family includes eight children, born as follows : 
(ieorge H., Sept. 5, 1859; Frederick L., Sept. 20, 
1S60; Willard G. and William L., \ug. 8, 1863; 
Myrtle I., June 5, 1866 ; Grant H., Oct, 15, 1868; 
Frank E., May 9, 187 i ; and Viola E., March 3, 1874. 

Mr. D. was elected Justice of the Peace in 1880, 



t 
I 




1))^^^^^ 



-z^l^ssr- 



v<^DH^Iillr>r 



rrr 



t^ 



i^'^^yj 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



and Township Treasurer in 1883. He is the present 
incumbent of the latter office. He is a member of 
the Masonic Order, Addison Lodge,No. 157, F. & A. 
M., at Addison, Lenawee Co., Mich. 



«^ 



1 — r 




imon S. Smith, merchant, Salt River, is a 
son of Alexander and Susan (Barger) Smith, 
who were natives of Greene Co., Pa., and 
moved to West Virginia, where the father was 
killed by a railroad accident, July 20, 1854. 
The mother, since re-married, is now a resi- 
dent of Parkersburg, W. Va. Their family comprised 
two sons and one daughter. 

The eldest son, the subject of this sketch, was 
born in Greene Co., Pa., Nov. 8, 1840, educated 
mostly at a private school, and at the age of 14, 
when his father was killed, he had to commence the 
battle of life for himself, first engaging as a clerk in 
a country store for his step-father for a year ; was 
next in the employ of Smith & Barger for nearly a 
year, and then for a short time in that of Ullom 
& Owen in West Virginia, then for Miles A. Himan, 
same State; attended school three months, taught 
three months, and then, in April, 1861, he bought a 
stock of goods and began merchandising on his own 
account. He followed this business about nine 
months, and soon afterward purchased a farm in 
West Virginia, which he carried on about two years. 
He then sold out and moved to the southern part of 
Virginia and was employed as clerk about ayear. In 
March, 1865, lie formed a partnership with Isaiah 
Lomon, under the firm name of Lomon & Smith, 
which continued three years. At the end of the 
second year they built two stores, and at the end 
of three years they divided their stock, Mr. S. con- 
tinuing until September, 1868, when he sold out and 
came to Isabella County. 

Here he was first engaged for a year and a half in 

meicantile business at Reynolds' Mill. In March, 

(q^ 1870, he removed to Salt River and bought out the 

I stock of H. Struble & Co., but six months afterward 

'■> he sold again and went to live on his farm of 107 

•^ acres, on section 10, Coe Township. Here he re- 



"Reynolds farm," of 75 acres, and also the grist-mill 
connected with it. In October, 1881, he moved 



\ 







-^-M^X 



again to Salt River and bought out the stock of 
general merchandise of N. W. Struble, where he now 
carries on a flourishing business. In 1882 he built 
an addition to his store and made further improve- 
ments. In April, 1883, he purchased a two-thirds 
interest in the Salt River grist-mill, which has a 
capacity of 150 bushels of wheat per day. Into this 
mill he transferred the machinery of the Reynolds 
mill. It is now owned and managed by (S. S.) 
Smith & (J. B.) Struble. 

Mr.. Smith has held the office of Highway Com- 
missioner about two years, and that of School Direc- 
tor and Moderator. Is a member of the Order of 
Odd Fellows, and (with his wife) a prominent mem- 
ber of the Disciples' Church, being one of the Elders. 
They were formerly active members of the Baptist 
Church. In the last mentioned he was Clerk and 
Deacon, and when they built their house of worship 
at Salt River he was Chairman of the Building Com- 
mittee. On national issues he is a Republican. 

Mr. Smith was married in Greene Co., Pa., April 
6, 186 1, to Miss Mary, daughter of William and 
Maria (Roach) Pettit, natives of the same county, 
who removed in 1851 to West Virginia, where they 
now reside. Mrs. S. was born in the above county 
April 13, 1843. A remarkable coincidence of dates 
in this family's history deserves mention. Mrs. S. 
was born in April, married in April, and all the three 
children were born in April ; and the same minister 
that baptized them into the Church also married 
them. 



ester Briggs, Deputy Sheriff" of Isabella 
County, proprietor of the Penobscot House 
and livery man at Blanchard, is a son of 
Oris and Adelia (Fields) Briggs. The father 
was born in 181 1, in Steuben Co., N. Y., and 
the mother was born in the State of Vermont 
in 1817. The former engaged in agriculture, moved 
from New York in 1843 to St. Joseph Co., Mich., two 
years later to Cass County, 18 years later (1S67) to 
Lenawee County, and in 1873 came to Gratiot County, 
where he died, in Emerson Township, April 22, 1874. 
The mother died in 1 881, at the home of a daughter 
in Lenawee County. 

The subject of this sketch was born Feb. 5, 1849, 



A 



sy 



r 






m 

V 

r 



^ 



-T<:t]D^nil^>T-rr 



^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



in St. Joseph Co., Mich., and remained at home until 
15. At that early age he enlisted in Co. C, Ninth 
Ind. Vol. Inf., and was assigned to the Fourth Army 
Corps, Army of the Potomac. The regiment wa-, 
not in any general engagement, but was in some 
skirmishes. He was discharged for disability in the 
fall of 1865, when he returned to his parents, who 
then lived in Cass County. One year laterhe went to 
Lenawee County, where he resided until 1881. Next 
he lived at St. John's, Clinton County, until 1881, 
and then for two years at Edniore, after which he 
came to Blanchard. 

He was married at St. John's, Clinton County, to 
Miss Josepha, daughter of Levi and Hannah (PuU- 
frey) Longwood. Her father was born in Seneca 
Co., N. Y., in 1800; her mother, in Pennsylvania, in 
181 1. Her father died in St. John's, May 2, 187S; 
her mother is yet living, at the same place. Their 
daughter, Josepha, was born April 24, 1849, in Seneca 
Co., N. Y., and was the fourth daughter of a family 
of seven, five of whom are yet living. 

Mr. Briggs is a member of the L O. O. F. and the 
G. A. R. He has been a Constable almost constantly 
ever since 21 years old, and Marshal of the village 
of Blancliard for a time. He resigned to accept a 
position as Trustee of the village. In the fall of 1 883 
he was appointed a Deputy by Thomas Pickard, 
Sheriff of the county. 

Politically, Mr. Briggs supports the Republican 
party. 



-^avid Switzer, watch-maker and jeweler at 




Mt. Pleasant, was born Sept. 11, 1840, in 

Jhjijy '^ Elgin Co., Can. His parents, William and 
^1V Eliza M. (Cowell) Switzer, were both natives 
of Canada and are still living there. 

Mr. Switzer was reared on his father's farm, 
and in 1864 went to Fingal to learn his trade. His 
employer aftenvards removed to Wardsville, whither 
he accompanied him, as he had not completed his 
preparation for business. In 1871 another move 
was made, to Byron, Shiawassee Co., Mich., under 
the same circumstances. Not long afterward, Mr. 
Switzer succeeded to the business and continued its 
prosecution at Byron nearly three years. In 1873 
he came to Mt. Pleasant, where he remained but a 






short time, going thence to Alma, and engaging in 
business there eleven months ; after which he again 
came to Mt. Pleasant and established himself per- 
manently. He is the pioneer resident jeweler and 
has been engaged in a prosperous business in his line 
from the first. 

Mr. Switzer was married Oct. 8, 1876, at Mt. 
Pleasant, to Matilda .A. Brown, a native of Canada. 
One of two cliildren born of this marriage is living, 
but unnamed. Daisy D. was born Feb. 14, 1881, 
and died Oct. 31, 1882. 

Mrs. Switzer had two children liy a former mar- 
riage, one of whom, Maisliall H., is living, and one, 
Willie, is deceased. 

Mr. and Mrs. Switzer are members of the Presby- 
terian Church, of which Mr. S. is Trustee. He is 
active in Sunday-school matters. 



vxaciZ;©-^^— fei^ 



,^%(Umiy 



liLij-V 



""^'Ff'fl'if ftines A. Converse, farmer on section 12, 
'^JJ_' \crnon Township, was born in Oneida Co., 
X. Y., Nov. I, 1834, is a son of Thomas D. 



■^iK®)$«^#^ 



^si^^ — @7^ tD a '^ 



\£ and Elisheba (Kirkland) Converse, natives of 
New England. He is the elder of two sons, 

,'' and when 13 months old was taken by his par- 
ents to Jefferson Co., N. Y. Here he lived at home 
until 24 years old, receiving a good education at the 
Belleville (N. Y.) Union Academy. 

At the age mentioned, he left home and engaged 
as traveling salesman for a New York wholesale es- 
tablishment. His route extended over various parts 
of tjie Empire State. In the fall of 1868 he came 
to Michigan. Spending one year in Shiawassee 
County, he came thence to Isabella and pre-empted 
80 acres, where he now lives. It was then entirely 
wild. He had to go to Mt. Pleasant, a distance of 
15 miles, for mail and marketing. The only work 
animals in the township at that time were an Indian 
pony and an ox team. For the first four years of 
his residence here he carried on his back all the sup- 
plies he purchased for home use. There was no 
work in his immediate neighborhood, and as money 
was scarce and times were hard, he would frequently 
take a cake of maple sugar and a loaf of bread and 
travel for days in search of employment. He gave 
what time he could to the improvement of his own 



(5^ 



;>; 






c 



1^' 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-4^^5«®V#' 



farm. He has erected necessary farm buildings and 
brought under cultivation 45 acres. 

He was married in Jefferson Co., N. Y., Feb. 20, 
1858, to Miss Elina M. Burnham, daughter of Emer- 
son and Emily (Ellsworth) Burnham, natives of New 
England. She was born in Ellisburg, Jefferson Co., 
N. Y., Nov. 7, 1839, and lived at home until her mar- 
riage, receiving a good common-school education. 
Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. C: 
Mary E. (Brown), born Aug. 23, 1863, and married 
Sept. 20, 1883; and Julia E., born Dec. 19, 1875. 

Mr. C. is politically a supporter of the Republican 
party, and has been Township Clerk of Vernon two 
years. He and wife are members of the Baptist 
Church. 



■homas Judge, farmer and lumberman, 

section 1 1, Fremont Township, is a son of 

William and Catharine (Kelly) Judge, 

'4<y natives of Ireland. His father was born in 

181 1, came to Canada in 1830, and died in 

1865, in Topeka, Kansas. His mother was 

born in 1818, and is yet living in Topeka, Kansas. 

The subject of this sketch was born Dec. 15, 
1829, in Ireland; was six months old when he ac- 
companied his parents across the sea to this country ; 
remained at home till he was 23 years of age, assist- 
ing on the farm ; in 1869 he came from Canada lo 
this county, settling on 200 acres of wild land where 
he now resides and has 150 acres in a good state of 
improvement. In 1882 he erected a fine brick resi- 
dence, at a cost of $4,000. He has also large barns 
and other commodious farm buildings, and he owns 
good live stock. He has just (March, 1884) com- 
pleted a job in the lumber line, putting 2,000,000 
feet on the track of the Mackinaw Division of the 
Michigan Central Railroad. In regard to national 
(piestions Mr. Judge is Democratic. He has been 
School Assessor six years and Township Supervisor. 

At the age of 23, Mr. J. married Dora Tighe, 
daughter of James and Mary Tighe, natives of 
Ireland. Her father was born in 1801, and died in 
1839, in Ireland ; and her mother died April 27, 1880, 
and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. In their 
family were seven children, all of whom are deceased 
except two. In Mr. Judge's family 12 children have 




been born, all living, as follows: James B., June 27, 
1852 ; Thomas, Nov. 27, 1853 ; Mary,March 3, 1856; 
William, Oct., 13, 1857; Catharine, Sept. 15, i860; 
John, Dec. i, 1862; Dora, Dec. 16, 1863; Sarah, 
Nov. 27, 1866; Cliarlie, Feb. 14, 1868; Anna, March 
16, 1870 ; Celia, Feb. 22, 1872 ; and Daniel F., Dec. 
15, 1876. Four of the above are heads of families. 



VL, 



A 



>; 






^{j^-Syrus H. Thompson, jeweler, at Mt. Pleas- 
pla ant, was born May i, 1818, in Newstead, 



Erie Co., N. Y., and is a son of Heath and f 

"^[J" Margaret (Anderson) Thompson. He was 

( >• left fatherless when a little more than eight 

years of age, and his mother became the wife 

of a man named Samuel Miles, who removed with his 

family to Orwell Township, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. 

Mr. Thompson acquired a good elementary educa- 
tion at the common schools, which he had attended 
until he was 16 years old. He subsequently entered 
Jefferson Academy, where he studied one term, and 
was a student some months afterward at Farmington 
Academy. He taught one term after leaving school, 
and at 18 went to Ashtabula to learn his trade, at 
which he served three years, most of the time at 
Cleveland, Ohio. At the end of the time mentioned, 
he went to Ashtabula and opened a shop, where he 
operated three months, going thence to Marshall, 
Calhoun Co., Mich. He worked at his trade there a 
few months, and in 1839 went to Jackson, where he 
conducted his business six years. During that time 
he purchased a farm in the township of Leoni, adjoin- 
ing the city, and after a brief residence ujMn it he 
went to Adrian. A few months later he went to 
Lansing, then in its early days. He bought a lot in 
that small " city," which was all in timber, cleared it 
up and erected his dwelling. He located his store 
therein and managed his business there until the 
winter of 1849-50, when he went to Coldwater and 
formed a partnership with Henry N. Moore, a rela- 
tion which existed nearly three years. He next 
bouglit a two-thirds interest in a large brick store and 
continued in his business alone. In the fall of i860 
he exchanged his property for that of a similar char- 
acter at Marshall, Mich., and continued its manage- 
ment until 1875. In October of that year he came 
to Mt. Pleasant and established the business in 






;^; n[|;.>JU;i ^>^^ 



r 

\ 

% 





^^yjj^ u/lju^^IcaaJI 




r. • • • ■ .-^ 



-^^^^ — erv<■>lln:^llIl^>^-r■ 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 






^K which he is now engaged. His stock comprises a 
■& well selected assortment of clocks, watches, plated 
,'^ goods and jewelry. His business includes repairing 
T and engraving. Mr. Thompson owns considerable 
/•§. town property in Mt. Pleasant. 

He was married June 4, 1843, in Leoni Township, 
Jackson County, to Paulina, daughter of Daniel and 
Catherine (Coon) Maxson. She was born in Ben- 
nington, N. Y., Aug. 28, 1824. Following is the record 
of the seven children that have been born to Mr. and 
/ Mrs. Thompson: Cynthia Priscilla married first Wil- 
>fe liam H. Wells (of Marshall, now deceased) and is 
i now the wife of I. E. Wilcox, of Mt. Pleasant; Alice 
is deceased; Cyrus H. is a jeweler at Marshall; 
Ella G. married William H. Bryan, of Chicago (now 
Postmaster, express and station agent at Ravens- 
wood) and died in 1874; Eva is the wife of Samuel 
A. Foster, of Mt. Pleasant; May V. is the widow 
of Frank H. Dusenberry; Lizzie, the youngest, is 
deceased. The family attend the Presbyterian 



) 



Church. 



>5 ^^^ 




1 



I 



[ibert C. Vredenburg, general farmer and 
^ stock-raiser, section 13, Lincoln Township, 
was born in Ingham ("o., Mich., April 4, 
1846. His father, George W., was a native of 
Newark, N. J., of German [larentage, was a 
I farmer, and died in Jackson Co., Mich., June 
17, 1863; his mother, Rebecca {/we Williams) Vreden- 
burg, was a native of New England, of English de- 
scent, and died in Pennsylvania in 1852. 

Albert C, the second son in the above family of 
four children, was three years old when his parents 
moved from this State to Pennsylvania; they lived 
six years in Jefferson County, that State, during which 
time his mother died, and he came with his father to 
Jackson Co., Mich., in 1855, settling near the city. 
Here young Albert received a good education. When 
he was 16 years old his father died, and when 18 he 
threw himself into the jaws of death for the salvation 
of his native land, enlisting in Co. G, 29th Mich. Vol. 
Inf, Sept. 9, 1864, commanded by Col. Saylor, of the 
the Army of the CJumberland. He was in the battles 
of Decatur, Ala., November and December, 1864, of 
Murfreesboro, Tenn., and many others. During 
his term of service he was promoted Corixjral, and 
was honorably discharged Sept. 20, 1865. 



jy^-f^^^pc 



He then made a tour through Wisconsin, came to 
this county and purchased a (juarter of section 14, 
Lincoln Township, made some improvements upon it 
and sold it. Previously, however, he had bought 80 
acres on sections 13 and 14, to which he has added 
50 acres by purchase, and the whole 130 acres are 
in a good state of cultivation. He has three large 
stock and grain barns, which cost nearly $1,500, and 
his large residence cost $1,300. 

Mr. V. is a member of the G. A. R. post at Salt 
River, holding now the office of Surgeon. In his 
township he has been Highway Commissioner, Su- 
pervisor two years, and held other minor offices. 
With regard to national questions he votes with the 
Republicans. 

Nov. 12, 1866, at Mt. Pleasant, this County, Mr. 
V. married Miss Martha J., daughter of Benjamin 
and Eunice (Calkins) Cole, the latter being natives 
respectively of New York and Pennsylvania, of Eng- 
lish ancestry. They were early residents of Lincoln 
Township. The father, a farmer, died in June, 1877, 
aged 69; the mother is still living, at the age of 68, at 
Mt. Pleasant. Mrs. V. was born in Ohio, Oct. 8, 
1849. When she was two years old her parents 
moved to Allen Co., Ind., and in 1866 to this State, 
where she has since lived. Mr. and Mrs. V. have 
four children, namely: George H., born Nov. 21, 
1868; Perry H., Aug. 29, 1872; Mary A., Oct. 
5, 1877 ; and Fannie M., Sept. 29, 1879. 

Mr. V.'s portrait is given in this volume, as that of 
a truly representative agriculturist. 



ames Ayling, general farmer and dealer in 

r blooded sheei), section 6, Lincoln Town- 

^^'^ ship, is a son of John and Sarah (Trusler) 
Ayling, natives of England, who came to Amer- 
ica in 1856, settling in Freehold, Warren Co., 
Pa., where they passed the remainder of their 
lives, the former dying in 1876 and the latter in 1880. 
James, the subject of this sketch, was born in 
Surrey, England, Jan. 15, 1823, was 14 years old 
when the family emigrated to this country; remained 
at home, working on the farm, until 22 years of age, 
when he was married. In the spring of 1867 he 
moved to his i)resent place, then comi)rising but 80 




(f)) 

n 



c 



l 






C< 



v/ 

^ 



t 




<>IlIi:-^|]Df>r 



-2i^^S^ 



8€#i©^ 



(^ 









^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



S 

y 

^ 



acres, to which he has since added by purchase 60 
acres; and here he has erected, by his own hands, a 
small residence and several good farm buildings. 

Mrs. Ayling is a member of the Church of the 
United Brethren in Christ; Mr. A. is an active and 
influential Republican, has held the oflfices of Super- 
visor two and a half terms, Township Treasurer two 
terms, Justice of the Peace four years and minor 
public positions. 

Jan. 19, 1845, in Warren Co., Pa., Mr. Ayling was 
married to Miss Margaret, daughter of William and 
Jane (Cochran) Baker, natives respectively of France 
and America, who were married in Pennsylvania. 
Mrs. A. was born in the township of Baker (named 
after her grandfather, the first settler), Allegheny 
Co., Pa., May 25, 1828. In this family have been 
born the following 11 children: Sarah J., born April 
23, 1846; Mary A., July 20, 1847; Rensselaer, April 
12, 1850, died Feb. 19,1872; John W., July i, 1852; 
Ella R., Aug. 25, 1853; Herman J., May 15, 1855; 
Charles L., March 13, 1858, died Oct. 11, 1867; 
Henry H., March 13, 1859; Jesse G., Sept. 5, 1861, 
died Nov. 20, 1861 ; Estella M., Oct. 16, 1864; 
Minnie G., March 17, 1866, died Oct. 5, 1867. 



«\«aaar©^@» 



•^3l5wraOT>. 




i illiam L. Faunce, farmer, section 10, Coe 
Township, is a son of Alden and Lucretia 
(Coburn) Faunce, the former a native of 
Massachusetts and the latter of New York. 
They first settled in Trumbull Co., Ohio, 
where he died ; Mrs. F. is still living. 
The subject of this sketch was born in the above 
mentioned county, Feb. 20, 1845, was educated at 
the common school, and two terms at an academy ; 
at the age of 20 he started out in life for himself, en- 
gaging in farming most of the' time he remained in 
Ohio. In Septen.ber, 1875, he came to this county, 
and, in company with Lewis Hutton, purchased the 
" Reynolds Mill," ran it for 13 months, sold it and 
bought 40 acres on section 10, Coe Township, to 
which Mr. F. has since added 46 acres. He now 
has 57 acres in good cultivation. Mr. Faunce is an 
esteemed citizen in his community. He was elected 
Treasurer of Coe Township in April, 1882, and was 
"^ re-elected in April, 1883; he is also School Assessor. 



In politics he is a Republican, and in religion botlK^ 
he and his wife are members of the Disciples' Churchff 
Mr. Faunce was married, in Trumbull Co., Ohio^,\ 
Sept. 23, 1875, to Miss Agnes, daughter of Joseph'? 
and Ann Young, natives of Scotland. Mrs. F. waSf^ 
born in I'rumbull Co., Ohio, Oct. 23, 1850. Their 
three children are Annie L , Garfield and an infant. 



-W-i^ffl^^^^i,^ 



" ^^^^ 



homas J. Fordyce, resident at Mt. Please 
ant, was born in the village of ClintoiR 
Greene Co., Pa., Sept. 4, 1834, and is th^ 
son of John W. and Sally (Bane) Fordyce. 
His father is a native of Greene County, where 
he was born Feb. 13, 18 13, and in early life 
was a tailor by profession. He is now a resident in 
section 27 of Coe Township, this county, where he 
owns 40 acres of land. His mother was a native o( ^ 
Washington Co., Pa., and died in May, 1880, in Co^ 
Township. /7s 

Mr. Fordyce was reared to the age of 17 years oii= 
his father's farm in Pennsylvania, and at that age li^* 
went to Preston Co., W. Va., and passed between=i 
six and seven years in railroading, about two-third^ 
of that time as superintendent of a construction corpy 
He was married while there, .Aug. 22, 1856,10 Eliza^ 
beth Turner, daughter of Z. C. and Sarah Turner. 
She was born Jan. 7, 1835. After his marriage Mr. 
Fordyce engaged with James Kane as foreman in the 
lumber woods of West Virginia and operated in that 
capacity until the spring of 1864, when he engagec 
as assistant superintendent of the Preston County 
Candle & Gas Coal Company. y>, 

He remained with them until Se|)t. 30, 1865, whMj' 
he came to Isabella County. He made the route lr> 
stage from St. John's to St. Louis and thence througl 
the woods to Coe Township, where he bought 40 acre; 
of timber land on section 26. On this he resided 
about eight years and cleared nearly 30 acres. He 
sold the place in 1872 and bought 80 acres of land 
on section 11, of Coe Township, .|o acres of whicft^ 
were improved and under cultivation. The plac^ 
was in his possession but one year, as he sold it i^'; 
the s|)ring of 1873. ^ 

In the fall of 1872 Mr. Fordyce was nominated q^^ 
the Republican ticket for Sh.erilif, and was elected 
over Cornelius Bogan by a majority of 273 votes. Ha' 



-^^^^^^ 



U=^^ 



<;n II ^ Iinv>A^ :s^?^c^ 



m 



£:^ 



r<>t]tl§IIIli^>v^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



277 






fwas re-elected in 1874, and a year after the expira- 
tion of his term of office he moved to a farm of 80 
»,^acres in Chippewa, which had previously come into 
T his possession by exchange. Sixty acres of the place 
i^.was under cultivation and he continued to reside on 
and manage it until Jan. i, 1884. He moved into 
Mt. Pleasant Feb. i, following, and has since con- 
tinned to reside there. He owns two residences and 
lots in town, situated on Bennett's Addition. He is a 
a member of the Order of Masonry and belongs to 
/the fraternity of Odd Fellows. He lias held numer- 
%ous township and school offices and has officiated as 
^Constable. 







|rlando B. Thayer, farmer and blacksmith, 

residing on section 22, Vernon Township, 

was horn in Binghamton, Broome Co., N. 

Y., June 12, 1846, and is a son of Joel L. and 

Mary B. (Aslicraft) Thayer. His father was 

a native of New York, followed farming and 

^died in Isabella County, Aug., 6, 1881. His mother, 

>;r^also a native of New York, yet lives in this county. 

^Of their three children, Orlando was the eldest. 

The two others were named Clarence R. and 

Roddie. 

He lived in his native county till he was nine 

years old; then four years at Lansing, this State; 

five years in Eaton County; and ten years at Mason, 

Ingham County. In March 1876, they came to this 

y county and located on section 12, Isabella Town- 

•';;i) ship. In March, 1879, Mr. Thayer exchanged the 

'^\ 80 acres in Isabella for 80 acres in Vernon, which 

i is now his home. He has now 30 acres improved 

and suitable farm buildings. 

He was married at Eaton Rapids, Sept. 22, 1869, 
to Miss Melissa Disenroth, daughter of John and 
Anna E. (Fearer) Disenroth, natives of Oermany. 
X. The daughter was also born in the " Fatherland, " 
V April 4, 1847, and came with her parents to America 
A when seven years old. She lived some years in 
■-^ New York State, and then came to Ingham County, 
•y which was her home until her marriage. Mr. and 
^> Mrs. Thayer have four children living, who were born 
'\~^ as follows : Delphernia, Sept. 30, 1872 ; Leroy, Sept. 
7" 23, 1874; J^ewis, Aug. 20, 1876 ; and Lorenzo, June 

Ma «))«^#« ^^'^^^ — ^A<^[i !i % iini> 



10, 1878. Roddie J. was born July 20, 1870, and 
died Feb. 15, 188 1. 

The parents are members of the Baptist Church. 
Mr. T. is a Re|)ublican and has held various local 
offices. 



Sk^^I eal Morrison, farmer, section 11, Isabella 
tE^SiI I'o^^'iisliip, was born in the vicinity of 
JifiS? Montreal, Canada, Feb. 3, 1832. He 

g^ remained on the parental homestead, assist- 

Ib ing his father in the maintenance of the family, 
until he attained the age of 20 years. On arriving 
at this point in life he began working in the lumber 
woods and continued that vocation for two years. 
He then "ran " logs and lumber on Lake Erie for 
several years, after which he returned to his former 
occupation in Haldimand Co., Ont., and successfully 
continued the same for a period of seven years. 

In 1864, Mr. Morrison came to this State and 
located in Macomb County, and again entered on 
his chosen occupation. He continued farming in 
that county until the year 1876, when he came to 
this county and purchased 80 acres of land, unim- 
proved and heavily timbered, on section 11, Isabella 
Township. He immediately began the improvement 
of his homestead, determined to make it a pleasant 
home and a remunerative investment. He has 
cleared and improved 75 acres of his land, erected 
thereon a large stock and grain barn and a good resi- 
dence, and is content with the accumulation of his 
own industry. 

Oct. 7, 1857, Mr. Morrison was united in mar- 
riage, in Ontario, with Miss Sarah Gormley, a native 
of Ireland, where she was born Aug. 14, 1837. Her 
mother died when she was three years old, and she 
accompanied her father to the New World, where, in 
Haldimand Co., Ont., they located and where she 
lived until her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Morrison are the parents of eight 
children. The living are: Jane, born Aug. 4, 1858; 
Christina, Sept. 17, i860; William, Oct. 8, 1862; 
Peter, Oct. 28, 1864; Neal, Jan. 24, 1867; Sarah, 
April 2, 1874; and Jane, March 16, 1880. 

Mrs. Morrison is a member of the Roman Catholic 
Church, while Mr. M. is a Presbyterian. Politically, 
he is a believer in and supporter of the [)rinciples of 
the Democratic party. 




V^ 



9 



i 



I 



■^T^^$@>i 



^278 



z^^^^^s^-:- — cr-7<>o n ^^ D ^^ j>v 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



A 






^ 



V 




iH 



,lvah D. Weston, mason at Dushville, is a 
sun of William and Lydia (Miner) Westoii, 
natives of the Empire State, residents for a 
time in Branch Co., Mich., from 1852 lo 1877 
in Hillsdale County, since which time they 
1 have resided onanSo-acre tract on section 12, 
Fremont Township. Mr. Weston, the father, was 
born Feb. 25, 181 2, and has been a farmer all hislife. 
Mrs. W. was born in 1827. Mr. W. has had 13 chil- 
dren, four by his present wife. 

The subject of this biographical sketch, Alvah D., 
was born June 30, 1854, in Hillsdale Co., Mich. At 
20 years of age, he commenced and served a two 
years' apprenticeship at the mason's trade, since which 
time he has followed that business. In 1877 he 
came and settled in Fremont Township, on section 
13, remaining there a year; was then one year in 
Mecosta County, and then located at Dushville. 

In 187,1;, Mr. Weston was married to Miss Nancy, 
daugliter of Ashley and Cordelia (Hunt) Wilson. 
Her mother died in 1870, in Lenawee Co., Mich., and 
and her father, a farmer, is a resident of Mecosta 
County, where he owns a farm. There are six chil- 
dren in his family, three sons and three daughters, 
all heads of families. Mrs. Weston was born March 
II, 1857, and she and Mr. W. are the parents of three 
children, viz : Fred E., born May 17, 1S76; Oren B., 
April 28, 1878; Grace, June 28, 1880. 

With reference to political ([uestions Mr. W. is a 
"National," and religiously both he and his wife be- 
long to the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



^^Cohn L. Markley, blacksmith at Vernon 
Wl^ Cliy, was born in Germany, Oct. 24, 1817, 
and lived in the old country until 35 years 
of age. He learned his trade of his father, 
and at the age of 18 went out to work at the 
same, traveling over a good part of Germany. 
He received a good education in the schools of his 
native country. He was married at Frommare, Feb. 
14, 1849, to Miss Anna M. Appier, who was born in 
Germany, May 12, 1827. She is the mother of 11 




children, — seven sons and four daughters. Six of 
the children are living. 

('oming to the United States at the age of 35, he 
first located in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio. He established 
a large wagon and blacksmith shojj, in which he did 
an extensive business for nearly twenty years. In 
1862 he had visited this county and selected 80 acres 
in Vernon Township; and when the F. & P. M. rail- 
road was built through his farm, he left Ohio perma- 
nently, to settle here. He laid out 40 acres in village 
lots, and named the place Vernon City. At that 
time no house was nearer than four miles. His house, 
a large frame one, was made at Flint, already to be 
put up as soon as hauled on the railroad to his future 
home. It was the first plastered house in the county. 
He afterwards erected a blacksmith shop, which he 
operated for a time. This he abandoned, however, 
to give his time to improving his farm and starting 
the village. He is a shrewd business man, and had 
been very successful in his residence in Ohio, but 
was opposed by several unfavorable circumstances, 
of which one was the impossibility of reconciling his 
wife and children to a life in a new country. He 
has given half his property to his wife, but still owns 
20 acres in village lots. Politically, he is a Democrat. 



? homas Hannett, real estate and lumbering, 
^1 Salt River, is the son of John P. and Mary 
tjlilii^ ** Hannetl, natives of Lower Canada. They 
'uP^ died in the Dominion ; the former was drowned 

in September, 1849, and the latter died in 1854. 

Their family consisted of four boys. 
The second son, the subject of this sketch, was 
born in Canada, Sept. 1 1, 1843. His school privileges 
being limited, his mental force was concentrated upon 
such practical education as he would gain by experi- 
ence ; and this has been considerable, as he has great 
energy and perseverance. He was about six years 
old when his father died, and at the age of ten he 
went to live with a farmer, until he was 17 ; he was 
then apprenticed for three years to learn the black- 
smith's trade, but, being very apt, he became profi- 
cient in a short time, and did not remain as an appren- 
tice the full term of three years. After working as a 
journeyman about two years, he started in business 
for himself, in Canada, but soon sold out and went to 



V&: 



i 



^ 






;<;>;!][]; ^A-Q i^hv^i^ 



e|^^-(,») 




m 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^^^^^\J^ 



*S 



^ 









V 



'^ 



a 
^ 



^^^ 

.^4^. 



279 



Ihe oil regions of that dominion, where he was em- 
ployed at his trade, and also engineering, for about 
two years. In 1868 he came and located in New 
Haven Township, (iratiot County, purchasing a farm 
and residing upon it about three years, when, about 
1872, he moved to this county and purchased a farm 
of 400 acres in Coe Township; after owning this 
about five years he sold the whole tract except 80 
acreson section 13, which he still retains. He also 
owns 40 acres on section 36, 40 on section i, 160 on 
section 12, 27 in Lincoln Township, and property in 
Salt River. About 70 acres of his land is in cultiva- 
tion and productive of good croiis. 

In the spring of 1881, Mr. Hannett was elected 
Supervisor of Coe Township, which office he now 
fills. In politics he is a Democrat, and in social mat- 
ters he is an Odd Fellow and a Good Templar. 

Mr. H. was married, at Maple Rapids, Clinton Co., 
Mich., Jan. i, 1869, to Caroline A.,daughter of Philip 
and Mary Burlingame, who was born in Wisconsin, 
Sept. 22, 1849, and died March 29, 1879; their five 
children are, Alice E., Emory H., Ella M., Royal J. 
and Claude H. Mrs. H.'s father is a minister of the 
United Brethren Church, and is located near Reed 
City, Mich. 



itandrew J. Clute, of A. J. Clute & Co., lum- 
ber manufacturers, residing on section 23, 




Vernon, was born in Erie Co., Pa., July 14, 
1847, and is a son of Christopher and Martha 
C. (McKay) Clute, natives of Pennsylvania 
and of German descent. The parents now reside in 
Clare. Of their five children, four are sons and one 
a daughter, and Andrew is the eldest. 

He liver" until 14 years old with his parents in his 
native county, then four years in the State of Ohio, 
and then they came to Midland County, tliis State. 
He received a good common-school education under 
his father's care, and on setting out for himself 
worked at lumbering for four years. Thence he 
went to Clare, and thence to Sheridan Township, 
Clare County. In 1876 he selected Isabella County 
as his home, and in partnership with his father-in- 
law, William Turbush, erected a saw-mill on section 
23, Vernon, which they have since operated. The 




mill has a daily capacity of 8,000 feet, and the firm 
handle annually about 1,000,000 feet of lumber. 

He was married in Vernon Township, Dec. 24, 
1 88 1, to Miss Ernstine Turbush, who was born in 
Ingham County, this State, Oct. 7, 1858. She came 
vvitli her parents to this county when eight years old, 
and was educated in the public school at Clare. She 
began teaching at the age of 16, and continued in 
that vocation until her marriage. Mr. and Mrs- 
Clute have a son, Christoi)hcr W., born Nov. 14, 
1882. 

Politically, Mr. C. is a staunch Republican. . 

^^ 

oren A. Houghton, M. D., physician and 
surgeon, of Blanchard, is a son of Loren 
and Esther M. (Scott) Houghton. The 
mother was born in Vermont, March 27, i824» 
and died April 13, 1855, in Woodland Town- 
ship, Barry Co., Mich. The father was born in 
New York State, July 30, 1 823, and adopting the voca- 
tion of farmer came to Barry County, this State, in 
1852. Ten years later he moved to Ionia County and 
lived there until 1883. He then returned to Woodland 
Township, where he now resides, at the age of 61. 

The subject of this biography was born Jan. 30, 
1845, in Pittsfield, Lorain Co., Ohio. At the early age 
of 10, losing his mother by death, he went out in the 
world to take care of himself. He lived with his 
grandparents until 17 years old, and then commenced 
working out for $5 per month. A few months later 
he went to Ionia County, where he alternately at- 
tended school and worked on a farm, until 22. He 
then commenced the study of medicine, remaining 
six months with Dr. Rawson, of Woodland Center, 
Barry County. For the next two years he studied 
with Drs. Perkey and Merritt, of Charlotte. He then 
took a course at Ann Arbor, and was graduated 
March 27, 1872; when he began the practice of med- 
icine in Ionia County. In the autumn of 1883 he 
located in Blanchajd, whore he is becoming po[)ular 
and has an enviable practice. 

In June, 1873, he married Miss Diana Foster, 
daughter of Lorenzo and Cordelia (Dusenberry) 
Foster. Mr. Foster was born Dec. 25, 1821, in New 
York, and Mrs. Foster was born Sept. 9, 1827, in the 
same State. They reside in Eaton County, this State-. 



V 



0. 



'^, 



Si/ 



(i) 






I 

ml 




"^SiSi^'i^ 



v<^:nD^Dnr> 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'J 



^^ 




(0 



Their daughter was born July 30, 1848, in Eaton Co., 
Mich., and was the oldest daughter in a family of six 
children, all but one of whom are living. Dr. and 
Mrs. Houghton have had a family of three : Earl, born 
Aug. 15, 1875 ; Edwin, born May 4, 1880; and Edith, 
born May 4, 1880, and died Oct. 24, 1880. 
Politically, Dr. Houghton is a National. 



=£S- 



obert Johnston, farmer and stock-raiser, 
section 14, Isabella Township, and one of 
^' the leading and representative men of the 
'}\v ^^"'^'^1 ^^^s born in the vicinity of Ottawa, On- 
tario, June 23, 1842. 

At ten years of age Robert accompanied his 
parents to Pontiac County, Province of Quebec, 
where they located on a farm. Here the father con- 
Ptinued the occupation of a farmer until his death, 
■ i'. March 20, 1859. 

1=1 On the death of his father Robert became heir to 
^150 acres, mostly improved land. He lived with his 
=tmother until 1865, when he came to this State and 
"^engaged in lumbering in different counties for a 

^period and then returned to Canada. 
v^ ) Mr. Johnston was united in marriage with Miss 
Lorena Le venture, March 12, 1874. She was a 
native of Renfrew Co., Can., where she was born 
Nov. 2, 1854. Her mother died when Lorena was 
in childliood's years and she lived with her father, in 
her native county, until she attained the age of 16 
years, and then accompanied him to Upper Canada, 
iwhere she lived, assisting in the household duties 
and attending the common schools until her mar- 
riage. 

The husband and wife of this biographical notice 
are the parents of two children: Clara L., born Feb. 
2, 1875; and Percy J., born June 15, 1883. 

After his marriage Mr. Johnston came to this State 

tand located in Clare, Clare County, and engaged in 
the lumber business, which he continued for some 
^ months and then moved to Farwell, same county, 
^and continued in the lumber business for two years. 
i^At the .expiration of this time, July, 1878, he came to 
^this county and purchased 120 acres of land, on sec- 



^tion 14, Isabella Township. He has since added 40 
, Tacres to his original purchase and of his entire 



landed interest he has no acres in a good state of 
cultivation. 

Considering that at the time Mr. Johnston pur- 
chased his land it was all in its original state of 
nature, a wild and unbroken forest, he has certainly 
displayed great energy and perseverance in bringing 
his farm to its present state of improvement. He 
spent three winters of his time lumbering, and his 
estimable wife accompanied him to the camjj and 
did her part to wrest sufficiency from the hand of 
opportunity. 

Politically, Mr. Johnston is a believer in and sup- 
jxjrter of the principles of the Republican party. He 
is a member of the Episcopal Church, and his wife 
of the Presbyterian Church, and are respected and 
esteemid citizens of the township in which they 
reside. 

athan S. Parmenter, farmer, section 32, 
^ Coldwater Township, was born June 12, 
1809, at Brandon, Rutland Co., Vt. His 
parents were natives of Massachusetts and 
are both deceased. Their family included 
three sons and four daughters, all of whom lived 
to mature years. 

Mr. Parmenter remained at liome several years 
beyond the period of his majority, and worked as he 
found opportunity until he was 28 years of age. 
When he was 32 years old, he purchased 80 acres of 
improved land in his native town of Brandon. After 
conducting the place two years, he sold it, and bought 
a farm in the town of Chittenden, 1 2 miles from the 
former. On this he resided two years, when his 
father died and he again sold his estate for the pur- 
pose of residing with and caring for his mother on 
the family homestead. She lived but two years, and 
he again bought a farm in Brandon. The place com- 
prised 85 acres, and he retained its ownership five 
years. He then went to the State of New York and 
bought a place in the county of Wyoming, in which 
he resided 16 years. In i88r he came to Sherman 
City, in the township of Coldwater. William W. 
Parmenter, his son, had previously bought 240 acres 
of land near Sherman City, and Mr. Parmenter of this 
sketch came here to reside with him. He is a Re- 
publican in political principle. He was married May 







*v 



I 



*>' 



V 






T 






1 — r 

1=3 

1=1 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-rr- 



4J<i^f(sV(|| 



ig, 1833, to Azubah, daughter of Kenney and Betsey 
(Walker) Grover. She was born Oct. 30, 1814. Her 
parents were natives of Vermont and died in Wyo- 
ming Co., N. Y. Their five sons and five daughters 
grew to maturity. Following is the record of the 
children of Mr. and Mrs. Parmenter: Wilson A., 
born March 29, 1834; William Wallace, Jan. 18, 
1837 ; AnnaL., Dec 6, 1846; Mary A., May 5, 184S; 
Emma Augusta, Sept. 16, 1852. The third child 
(unmarried) died in early infancy. 



iffl^illiam Turbush, of the the firm of A. J. 

jjjjj^l' Clute & Co., manufacturers of lumber, re- 

;|^??^ siding on section 23, Vernon Township, 

U||S> was born in Albany Co., N. Y., Aug. 30, 

'41/' 1833- He was the third child and second 

^ son of a family of four. He lost his fatherwhen 

14 years old, but his mother lived until 1882. 

At the age of 18 he moved to Wayne County, N. 
Y., and lived there three years, including one season 
which he passed as a sailor on the lakes. Coming 
to Ingham County, this State, in 1854, he learned 
and then worked at, the trade of carpenter and joiner, 
until 1S64. 

In August of that year, he enlisted in Co. I, ist 
Eng. and Mech., and was assigned to the Army of the 
Cumberland, under Sherman. He fought at Nash- 
ville, Tenn., but being employed mostly in mechan- 
ical work he escaped much actual fighting. Being 
taken sick the last of December, 1864, he was sent 
to the hospital at New York city, and while there he 
was transferred to the U. S. Regular Infantry, in 
which he served until June 29, 1865. On that date 
he was honorably discharged. 

He returned to Michigan byway of Albany, N. Y., 
where he paid a short visit to the home and friends 
of his youth. Arriving in Ingham County, he shortly 
resolved to come to Isabella County. He moved here 
Aug. 12, 1865, and entered the first 160 acres of land 
taken in Vernon Township. This was on section 34. 
He soon moved into the woods and commenced to 
improve his land. He has worked at his trade in 
Mt. Pleasant a ixjrtion of the time, and spent one 
season in "looking" pine land in this and adjoining 
counties. He has given a son 80 acres, and of the 



remainder of his farm he hasunder cultivation 5 
acres. 

He was first married in the spring of 1854, i 
Wayne Co., N. Y., to Miss Clara Wells, who wasborn| 
in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., in Dec, 1834. She diedL 
at her home in Ingham County, this State, in the falN^ 
of i86i, leaving three children, — Jesse, Ernest and 
Ellsworth. The first two are n.arried. He was again 
united in the bonds of matrimony in Ingham County, 
in June, 1864, with Mrs. Nancy (Hazelton) Hunt. 
She was born in Ontario, Can., April 15, 1832, and 
when six years old came with her parents to Ingharij| 
County. Hy her first marriage to a Mr. Reeves, sh^ 
had four children, — Elizabeth, Francis E., Stella M/ 
and William (deceased). By her subsequent mar- 
riage toMr. Hunt, she has a son, Elmer D., and of 
her present marriage there has been born one son, 
George. 

Mrs. T. is a member of the Baptist Church. Mr. 
T. is a member of the F. & A. M. and the A. O. P. SC )) 
In political matters he is an earnest supporter of Re^ 
publicanism. 



.sS^- 



W4 

m 



fii 



\ ichard Goodwin, farmer, section 32, Isa 






■■^\ 



Ijclla Tovvnshii), is a son of Richard andl\ 
Laura (Jones) Goodwin, and was born iii4-^ 
'(^^ the vicinity of London, Eng., Feb. 28, 1834. 

The parents of our suliject are natives ol 
England and Wales respectively, and of Eng- 
lish and Welsh extraction. The father was a farmer 
by occupation and emigrated witli his family to the 
New World and located in Scio Township, Washtena\« 
Co., this State. He shortly went to the Empire StatS 
and died there, in 1858, aged 63 years. The mothef 
died two years afterward, in i860, in San Francisco, 
Cal. Richard was but six months old when his par- 
ents came to this country and settled in Washtenaw 
County. When seven years old, he accompanied 
them to Waterloo Township, Jackson County, and 
three years later went with them to Ann Arbor. <^ 
At this age in life Mr. Goodwin launched his life- 
boat on the sea of events and went forth to figlil 
the battles of the cold, unthinking world alone. Hi^ 
" roses " grew not without thorns, and, going to.Wash^ 
tenaw County again, he went to work as a commore 
laborer on the farm, which occupation he continued 



-^«^^^ ^^^f^m^MO^ 



d. 



-*4^ 




^^^ 



-:^^^>i^ 6^T^UM^^ 



-#^^(®vS 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



:\ 



?■ 

/N 



I 



years. He then went to work for a gentleman 
in Lima Township, where he worked for 21 years, at 
the same vocation. 

Feb. 4, 1858, in Washtenaw County, Mr. Goodwin 
was united in marriage with Miss Susan, daughter of 
Samuel and Catharine (Lacy) Clements, natives of 
New Jersey and Maryland, and of Irish and English 
extraction. They came to Washtenaw County in 
1826, and were among the first settlers in that local- 
ity, and Susan was the first white child born in Lima 
Township, that county, the date or her birth being 
Nov. 24, 1827. 

Mr. and Mrs. Goodwin are the parents of four 
children, two of whom are deceased. The living 
children ure : Samuel C, born May 28, 1865 ; and 
Henry C, born Feb. 10, 1868. Charles, born Aug. 
7, 1870, died March 22, 1872. One child died in 
infancy. 

After his marriage Mr. Goodwin located a farm in 
Lima Township, Washtenaw County, and successful- 
ly prosecuted the occupation he had previously fol- 
lowed, farming, until the year 1877. In the summer 
of that year he sold his property in that township 
and came to this county. He purchased 40 acres 
on section 32, Isabella Township, all unimproved. 
When he first came to the township there was but 
little settlement, and the hand of improvement was 
hardly visible; and he entered on the task of improv- 
ing his land under the most embarassing circumstan- 
ces. He has succeeded in placing 20 acres of his 
land in a good state of cultivation. 

Politically Mr. Goodwin is a Republican. He is 
at present Justice of the Peace, and has held that 
position for six years. Religiously his wife is a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church; 




■ - ? ■-^^^^■'^^^ H — 

athaniel W. Struble, merchant, Salt River, 
is a son of Henry and Rebecca J. (Mur- 
phy) Struble. (See sketch of Henry Stru- 
ble.) He was born in Williams Co., Ohio, 
Sept. 22, 185 2, received a common-school educa- 
tion and remained at home with his parents till 
nearly 24 years of age; came to Isabella County in 
fall of 1868 and assisted his father in the store until 
Oct. 20, T875, when he bought out his father. He 
still owns the place, and is carrying on the mercantile 



business with fine success. About a year after com- 
mencing here he formed a partnership with J. B. 
Struble, which continued about two years, when N. W. 
Struble bought out his partner's interest. He after- 
ward sold out to Isaiah Lomon and engaged in the 
real-estate business about a year, when he purchased 
the stock and trade of W. W. & J. B. Struble. After 
prosecuting business here about one year he sold out 
to S. S. & B. Smith, and bought the Lomon stock. 
In July, 1883, he sold a half interest in this stock to 
J. H. Struble, and the firm is now N. W. & J. H. 
Struble, who do a prosperous business, averaging 
$20,000 to $30,000 annually. 

Mr. S. is a member of the blue lodge, F. & A. M., 
and also of the chapter, R. A. M., at Mt. Pleasant; 
is also a member of the I. O. O. F. In political 
matters he belongs to the Republican party. 

Jan. 18, 1879, in Salt Rivet, Mr. Struble married 
Miss Nettie T., daughter of James B. and Lucy H. 
Allen, natives of Oakland Co., Mich. 

Mrs. S. was born in Gratiot Co., Mich., May 12, 
1856. They are the parents of one child, Myrtie 
Pearl, born Nov. 12, 1880. 



.) oseph M. Bradley, farmer, section 24, Isa- 
L^HI'r bella Township, is a native of this State^ 
,.., and was born in Lapeer County, in March, 

iy '851. His parents were natives of the same 
county in which our subject was born, and 
when Joseph M. was about four years of age, 
came to this county and received a tract of land from 
the Government, on which ihey resided until their 
death, the demise. of the father occurring July 25, 
1881, and that of the mother July 15, 1875. 

Joseph M. Bradley, the subject of our biographical 
notice, is the third son of 1 1 children of his parents' 
household, and remained with them until their death, 
assisting his father on the farm and attending the 
Government schools. Since that time he has become 
possessed of the entire homestead, and now has 55 
acres of the same in a good state of cultivation. . By 
strict integrity and fair dealing with his fellow men, 
coui)led with energy and determination, he has at- 
tained the highest representative position of his race 
in the township. 

Mr. Bradley was united in marriage. May 15, 1875, 







V 



9 

A 



sy 



r 



% 
J 




A^. <g7 ^^^ /^^ 



W^rm^^ 






^ 



^ 



3 



(^ 



k 

t 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



in Isabella Township, this county, to Mrs. Mary Ash- 
man (tiee Williams), born in Saginaw County, this 
State, in 1856. Her parents both died in this county. 
The husband and wife, subjects of this biography, 
are the parents of four children, one deceased. The 
living are Maria, born Nov. 19, 1876; Matilda J., 
Feb. 15, 1 880; and Samuel, Nov. 25, 1882. Christina, 
born April 17, 1878, died Nov. 27, 1882. Mrs. Brad- 
ley had one child by a former marriage, — Lucy A., 
born April 3, 1874. Both father and mother are 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Mr. Bradley, politically, is a believer in and sup- 
porter of the principles of the Republican party. He 
has held the office of Township Treasurer three years, 
and has been School Director for ten years. 




<\4a2c/®^^ 



|i§|— -/^^wrzwsv. 



Wf\ 



'■a 



^oraoe O. Bigelow, farmer, section 8, Coe 
Township, is a son of Chandler B. and 
Amanda (Wright) Bigelow, natives of Colchester, 
Conn. They settled in Genesee Co., N. Y., 
where she died. He afterward moved to Mon- 
roe Co., Mich., in 1851, and died in Dundee, 
Mich., in November, 1872. There were four children 
in the family. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Bergen, 
Genesee Co., N. Y., March 17, 1826, and was edu- 
cated at the common school. At the age of 16 he 
commenced to learn the blacksmith's trade, but on 
account of impaired health he quit it before he was 
of age, and attended a three-months term of select 
school at Lyons, N. Y. Next he worked at his trade 
half a year at Watertown, Wis., and then for about 
five years, on his own account, in Dodge Co., Wis. 
Returning to Chili, Monroe Co., N. Y., he bought a 
shop, followed his trade a year, then a year at Dun- 
dee, Monroe Co., Mich., a year at Blissfield, Lenawee 
Co., Mich., and then came to Isabella County in June, 
1856, entering 320 acres on section 3, Coe Town- 
ship. Here he erected a log cabin and began the 
usual career of a frontiersman to establish a home. 
By the year 1869 he had 60 acres improved. He 
then sold out and purchased 120 acres of the Mur- 
taugh heirs, where he has erected fine farm buildings 
and has 100 acres in cultivation. 

Early in 1864, Mr. Bigelow enlisted in the war, 




but on account of physical disability was not ac- 
cepted. In the spring of i86t, he was chosen 
Supervisor of Coe Township, and served one 
year. In politics, he was formerly a staunch Repub- 
lican, but now sympathizes rather with the " Nation- 
al " party. He has often been urged to accept 
office, but as often declined. For three or four 
years he was a director of the Gratiot and Isabella 
Insurance Company. 

Mr. Bigelow was first married, in C'hili, Monroe 
Co., N. Y., Oct. 14, 1847, to Miss Adaline S., daugh- 
ter of Zebulon and Sophia (Scribner) Phillips. Her 
father, a native of Massachusetts, died in Church- 
ville, Monroe Co., N. Y., Jan. 7, 1883, and her 
mother died in Chili, N. Y., July 25, 1827. By this 
marriage there were two children, Olney B. and 
Francis Z. Mrs. B. died Dec. 5, 1852, in Clyman, 
Dodge Co., Wis., and Mr. B. was again married, in 
Riga, Monroe Co., N. Y., April 6, 1853, to Mary E 
Phillips, a sister of his former wife. She was born 
in Riga, Aug. 21, 1823. By this union there were 
five children, viz. : Adaline A., Frances E., Chandler 
B., Zebulon E. and Horace O., Jr. 

In presenting the portraits of Mr. B. and lady, we 
feel assured that all will acknowledge them to be fit 
examples of the worthy, substantial, industrious pio- 
neers who deserve to be retained in lasting remem- 
brance by the citizens of Coe Township and Isabella 
County. 



Eenry Trevidiek, a prominent merchant of 
;' Clare, was born April 3, 1846, in Mt. 
'* Clemens, Macomb Co., Mich., and at the 




age of sixteen left home to make his own way 
in life, going first to Saginaw, where he was for 
some time in a planing-mill. He afterwards 
learned the drug trade. In February, 187 1, he came 
to the site of Clare, then occupied by but one build- 
ing, and established the first store, selling drugs, etc. 
To reach his place he had to wind around through 
stumps and logs in a manner that would cause most 
people to despair. His first stock was worth $2,500. 
In 1876 he added a stock of clothing, boots and 
shoes, etc., and in 1880 he enlarged his store to meet 
the demands of a growing trade. His is now one of 
the principal buildings in Clare, being 20 x8o feet in 



\^ 






>: 









t 



^llllf>-^ 



_^^<?:^^!^ 



- »| » ^X 



(^ 






^ 



h 



size. He carries a stock worth $5,000, and does an 
annual business of $10,000. 

March 22, 1873, in Jackson County, he was mar- 
ried to Miss Alice M. Wheaton, who was born in 
that county Sept. i, 1853. Four children are now 
included in the family circle, who were born on the 
following dates : Clarence H., Dec. 26, 1875 ; Claud 
W., Feb. 12, 1878; Mabel A., May 10, 1881 ; and 
Ray, March 31, 1883. 

Mrs. T. is a member of the Congregational 
Church. Mr. T. is in ix)litical sentiment a Demo- 
crat. He has filled the office of Township Treasurer 
for two terms, and has been School Assessor. 




axwell G. Shappee, stock-raiser and 
farmer, section 24, Lincoln Township, 
was born in the vicinity of Elmira, N. Y., 
Oct. 24, 1837. His father, Guy Shappee, 
•')'■ was a native of the same county, of French 
descent, a farmer, and is still living, at the age 
of 75, in that county; and his mother, Mary, nee Van 
Gordon, was a native of Chemung Co., N. Y., of 
German descent, and died in her native county, 
about 1867. 

The subject of this sketch remained at home with 
his parents, working on the farm and attending 
school, until the breaking out of the war, when, in 
August, 1862, he enlisted in Co. C, 141st N. Y. Vol. 
Inf, Capt. E. G. Baldwin, first of the Army of the 
Potomac, then, in 1863, of the Cumberland. He 
participated in all the battles from that at Resaca to 
the end of Sherman's campaign. At the battle of 
Peach-Tree Creek, July 20, 1864, he received a gun- 
shot wound in the right hip. He entered the ranks 
as a private ; in the fall of 1862 he was elected 5 th 
Sergeant ; one year later he was promoted as Orderly 
Sergeant, and in another year he was commissioned 
First Lieutenant. Owing to his capture and parole, 
he was detailed for special duty, and it fell to him to 
bring home the company in which he first enlisted. 
In June, 1865, after the close of the war, he was 
honorably discharged. 

Returning immediately to his native home, he was 
married, Dec. 2, 1865, to Mrs. Ardella A. Fancher, 
nee Hoover, who was born in Crawford Co., Ohio, 
April 22, 1843, went to New York when three years 




old, returned to Ohio when twelve, and later returned 
to New York again. She was educated in the High 
School at Seneca, Ohio, and followed teaching, in 
both common and graded schools in her native State. 
After marriage, Mr. S. resumed control of the home- 
stead and the care of his mother, who died two years 
afterward. Maxwell was the second son and third 
child in a family of six children, two girls and four 
boys. His father spent his time among the other 
children. 

Mr. Shappee, the subject of this sketch, . became 
ixjssessor of the homestead. This he sold, and 
bought property in Breesport, same county; a year 
later he engaged in the hotel business, which he 
continued until the summer of 1873. He then sold 
out his interest there and came to Michigan, purchas- 
ing 40 acres of wild land where he now resides. He 
added by purchase 20 acres to the original tract, and 
he now has 30 acres well improved, with a comfort- 
able residence and other buildings. He was 
formerly reduced by hard times from comparative 
independence to poverty; but by his pluck and good 
judgment he has once more made for himself and 
family a good home. He has held the office of 
Justice of the Peace, Township Treasurer two years, 
and the school offices of his district. With respect 
to national questions he takes Republican views, and 
in religion he and his wife are members of the M. E. 
Church. 



if®iK illiam B. Forbes, farmer, section 22, Cold- 
pip^^^j, water Township, was born June 3, 1839, 
Jl^(~i in Niagara Co., N. Y., and is the son of 
•^^^|^>S>(^^ Leander J. and Nancy (Hudson) Forbes. His 



father was born in Erie Co., N. Y. and is still 
living, in Clinton Co., Mich. The mother was 
born in Saratoga Co., N. Y., and died in Clinton Co., 
Mich, about 1868. Their family included, one daugh- 
ter and seven sons. The sister was the eldest. 

Mr. Foster was the third child of his parents. He 
spent the first 14 years of his life in liis native county, 
and remained under the home roof during his minor- 
ity, except two months, during which he was occu- 
pied as a farm laborer in Oakland County, and one 
farming season, when he managed a rented farm in 
Livingston County. On the 14th of October, i86i, 



V^ 



i 



f? 






^Je^tl" 



ris^'^s: 6V4-^D D^' D tlr:>:— ^ >tf^^t^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






Mi 



f 



A 



>: 



V 



<^ 



I 



he enlisted in Co. A, Tenth Mich. Inf. His com- 
mand was assigned to the Army of the Mississippi 
and connected with the 14th Corps. In the fall of 
1862 the regiment was assigned to the Army of the 
Cumberland, and was under Sherman in his historic 
march to Atlanta and the sea. He was mustered out 
of the army service Feb. 6, 1865, after a long and 
arduous connection with the military service of 
the United States. On receiving his discharge he 
came back to Clinton County and bought a thresher, 
which he managed one season. In June, 1866, he 
entered a claim of 80 acres of land, where he has 
since resided. He has cleared and improved 50 
acres, and has placed his farm in a fine agricultural 
condition. He is a man of sterling traits of charac- 
ter, sjx)tless repute and acknowledged ability. 

He was married April 13, 1866, to Mary A. Ham- 
mond, daughter of Carmi and Mary A. (Willett) 
Hammond. She was born July 20, 1846, in Oak- 
land County. Her father was a native of Vermont 
and died in the township of Coldwater. Her mother 
was born in New York, and died in Clinton Co., 
Mich. The nine children of Mr. and Mrs. Forbes 
were born as follows : Isolina M., Nov. 1 8, 1 867 ; L J, 
Feb. 16, 1868 (died Nov. 11, 1880); L V, April 30, 
1869; \Vm. H., July 28, 187 i; Lizzie E., Jan. 24. 1873 ; 
Alfred J., July 16, 1875 (died Nov. 8, i88o); Nora 
A., Sept. 2, 1876; Effie M., April 2, 1881; Myrtie, 
March 26, 1883. Mrs. Forbes is one of ten children 
— six sons and four daughters — born to her parents. 

Mr. Forbes is a Democrat in political connection. 
He has held the office of Supervisor of his township 
three terms, has been Treasurer seven years and 
Highway Commissioner two years. 



-^ v.'WS 



g'trajit ewis Stringer, farmer, section 9, Lincoln 
;l Ls^ji Township, was born in Norfolk Co., Ont., 
y.v'i/T March 3, 1843, of American ancestry ex- 
fiKy tending back into Scotland and Germany. 
A His mother died in 1877 ; his father is still liv- 
^ ing, in that dominion, having been in earlier life 
a farmer. 

Young Lewis was 18 years old when he set out 
for Michigan, to work as a common laborer in the 
lumber'woods. In February, 1868, he settled upon 
80 acres where he still resides, and has improved 



40 acres, erected a fine barn, etc. This place was 
an unbroken forest when he came. 

In political matters Mr. Stringer is counted among 
the Republicans. In his township, he has held 5he 
office of Drain Commissioner and School Assessor 
two terms. 

He was first married in his native county in 
Ontario, Jan. 7, 1867, to Miss Ellen V. Ryersee, 
who was born in the same county, Dec. 12, 1840, 
and died at her home in this county, July 30, 1880. 
She had two children. Dexter D. and Ada A. Jan. 
29, 1882, Mr. S. again married, this time Mrs. 
Mary S. Austin, /it-e Banister, a native of Woodhouse 
Township, Norfolk Co., Ont., where she was born 
March 29, 1846, and came to this county in 1882. 
She is a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. 

-<— - : H ^-^i-ife' t : " *- 

lark H. Sutherland, merchant at Clare, 
^^tj was born in Deerfield Township, Living- 
ston Co., Mich., Sept. g, 1852. When he 
^[[t was only two years old, his father, a black- 
smith, removed to Genesee County; and here 
Clark lived with his father until 1870. Go- 
ing in that year to Ithaca, he was for one year em- 
ployed as clerk in the store of John Jeffry. Next 
he was engaged as salesman for the Monroe (Mich.) 
Nursery, and was on the road for three years. In 
the spring of 1874 he came to Clare County and 
purchased 40 acres of wild land in Hayes Township. 
Here he farmed for 18 months, after which he worked 
a short time in a saw-mill. 

In the fall of 1875 he came to Clare and with his 
father started a blacksmith shop. He continued in 
this work until July, 1876, when he began to read 
law with E. D. ^Vheaton, an attorney of Clare. He 
studied until January following, when he assumed 
the duties of the double office of County Clerk and 
Register of Deeds, to which he had been elected. 
He served the county with credit for three terms, or 
six years. Immediately after the expiration of his 
official life, he established a hardware store at Clare, 
in company with Henry Trevidick, with a stock 
worth $3,000. They do an annual liusiness of 
$10,000. 

He was married at ("hire, May 6, 1877, to Miss 
Rose B. Alger, a native of Ontario, Can She was 




f 



^ 



A 



c-^: 






1-^^^- 






ATA 



^ 



m 



(b 



1 

I 



290 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^^5f®\«' 




born July 25, 1858, and came to this county when 
quite young. Her three children are all living: 
OthoM.,born March 21, 1878; Roy L.,June 6, 1880; 
and Edwin C, March 3, 1882. Mrs. Sutherland is 
a member of the Congregational Church. Mr. S. is 
a member of Farwell Lodge, No. 335, F. & A. M., 
and Harrison Lodge, No. 331, L O. O. F. He is now 
President of the Village Council of Clare. In politi- 
cal affiliation he is a Democrat. 



lornelius Bogan, merchant and Postmaster 
at Calkinsville, Isabella Township, was 
born in County Tyrone, Ireland, Dec. 4, 1833. 
When 13 years of age he was apprenticed by 
his father to a flax dresser, and remained at 
that vocation for three years, until he was 16. 
On arriving at that age, he joined the English regular 
army and served with it four years. During that 
time he was engaged in the Caffre war. At the 
expiration of four years he left the service, his term 
of enlistment having expired, and came to this 
country. He arrived in the New World April 7, 
1852, and came almost direct to Osceola Township, 
Livingston County, this State. Here he followed the 
occupation of a farmer for three years and then went 
to Wayne County, where he was engaged in farming 
and burning charcoal until the year 1861. That 
year he moved to Washtenaw County, and was there 
occupied in "job ditching " until the breaking out of 
the late war. 

No sooner had the news flashed along the wires 
" that Sumter had been fired on," and a call was 
made for strong hands and loyal hearts to battle for 
the perpetuity of the Nation's flag, than Mr. Bogan 
offered his services. He enlisted in Co. E., Seventh 
Mich. Vol. Cav., and was assigned with his company 
to the Army of the Potomac. After his discharge, in 
1862, he joined the construction corps and was 
engaged in East Tennessee and Georgia, until the 
close of the war. 

After the war Mr. Bogan came to Washtenaw 
County, this State, where he remained until the fall 
of the same year and then came to this county and 
purchased 200 acres of land in Vernon Township. 
He entered on the task of improving and cultivating 
this land. He improved 50 acres of it and erected 




thereon a good residence, and then sold it and went 
to Calkinsville. At that place he engaged in the 
mercantile business, and has continued the same to 
the present time. 

Mr. Bogan was one of the first settlers of Vernon 
Township. He helped to organize the same and was 
elected the first Township Clerk, which office he held 
for two years. He was afterward elected Supervisor 
and held that position for five terms. He also held 
all the minor offices of the township and gave general 
satisfaction in each. 

Mr. Bogan was first married at Manchester, Eng., 
Aug. 13, 185 I, to Miss Ellen Farrell, a native of Ire- 
land, where she was born about the year 1833. She 
was the mother of seven children to Mr. Bogan, five 
of whom are living: Edward, born Nov. 21, 1853; 
Cornelius, May 6, 1856; Margaret, Dec. 8, 1858; 
Mary, June 5, 1865; and Lydia Nov. 7, 1867. The 
deceased are: Ellen, born July, 31, 1861, died July 
27, 1866; and John, born Aug. 5, 1863, died July 
25, 1868. 

Mrs. Bogan departed this life at her home in Calk- 
insville, May 23, 1880, leaving a host of friends and 
relatives to mourn her loss. She was a good wife, a 
kind and a loving mother. 

In April, 1881, in Saginaw, Mr. Bogan was a sec- 
ond time married, choosing for his life partner Mrs. 
Mercy A. Miller {nee Curtis.) She is a native of 
Ontario, Can., where she was born in 1858. She is 
the mother of two children by her former husband 
(B. Curtiss), — Jeannette and Frank. 

Mr. Bogan is a Democrat in politics, and has held 
the office of Justice of the Peace and Notary Public 
for a considerable length of time. He is a member 
of the Order of Masonry, Lodge No. 305, at Mt. 
Pleasant, and is an esteemed and respected citizen 
of his township. 



(^ 



'r^ 



4 



-i ^^A,^^■|^S•V^/^-5- 




eorge B. Alger, farmer on section 15, Ver- 
non Township, was born in Northumber- 
land Co., Can., June 11, 1847, and lived in 
his native county on his father's farm until 
16 years old, when he went to Houston Co., 
Minn. After a time he returned to Canada 
and spent two years there, when he came to St. 
Clair, this State, and with a brother enlisted in the ^ 



r 



>s 



^'5$§^«»- 



JS!^'^^;'^ 



■^m ^ i]d;i>-=-^ — ^='^' 



-f^^'^f^^M: 



"^ 



m 






r^^ ^ (o\m :-<r: n^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^5f®v|| 









>.■■ 



V 

i. 



J 



291 






army, enrolling in Co. H, ist Conn. Heavy Art. He 
was at the storming of the gun-boats on the James 
River, and was also present at Lee's surrender. He 
was honorably discharged Oct. 10, 1865. 

Returning to St. Clair County in 1867, he and his 
father and a brother came to this county, locating on 
380 acres of land on section 15, Vernon Township. 
The two sons afterwards removed to Kansas aud for 
two months carried on farming in Osborne County. 
Thence they went to Colorado, and then returned 
to Isabella County. He bought 80 acres on section 
2, and in 1875, selling this, he bought his father's 
homestead of 80 acres. He has since added greatly 
to the value of the place by making improvements. 

He was married March 25, 1875, in St. Clair 
County, to Miss Eva Ledsworth, who was born in 
Ontario in 1855, and died at her home in Clare, April 
5, 1877, leaving one daughter, Cora, born June 16, 
1876. He was again married, in Clare, March 18, 

1880, to Miss Maggie Murdock, born in New Bruns- 
wick in i860. She died in Vernon Township in 
March, 1881, leaving a son, George, born March i, 

1 88 1. He married his present wife April 18, 1882, 
being united with Miss Ann Jane Greenaway, who 
was born Jan. g, 1852, in Ontario, and came to this 
State in the spring of 1881. She has had one child, 
Morley, born March 22, 1883, and died Dec. 6, 1883. 

Mr. A. is a member of Clare Lodge, No. 333, L O. 
O. F He is politically a Democrat, and has held 
the office of Township Clerk for two years, being the 
present incumbent. 



■-^Si' 



^amuel C. CoUey, farmer, section 34, Cold- 
water Township, was born Nov. 26, 1841, 
^* in China, Wyoming Co., N. Y., and is the 

son of Charles and Polly (Chase) Colley. 
They were both natives of the State of New 
York. His mother died in August, 1841. His 
father was twice married, and lives in Cattaraugus 
Co., N. Y. Tiie issue of the first marriage was two 
sons, both now living in Isabella County. Five 
children were born of the second marriage, three of 
whom are deceased. 

Mr. Colley became the master of iiis own fortunes 
at the age of 20 years, and passed the first summer 
thereafter as a farm laborer, working by the month. 





The civil war broke out about the time he engaged 
in his opening struggle with independent life, and, as 
soon as his summer's labors drew to a termination, 
he resolved to enter the military service of the United 
States. In September, 1861, he enlisted in the 78th 
N. Y. Vol. Inf, and in 1863 his regiment waston- 
solidated with the i02d N. Y. Inf. The command 
was assigned to the 12th Corps in the Army of the 
Potomac. Mr. Colley was wounded twice at the 
battle of Chancellorsville, one bullet passing through 
the right lung and another striking him under his left 
arm. Both bullets passed through to the shoulder 
blade. He lay on the field until the third day after 
he was wounded, when he was taken prisoner, and 
was placed in a field hospital. He was iiaroled two 
weeks later, and went to Acquia Creek hospital, go- 
ing thence a short lime after to the Chestnut Hill 
hospital. He was next transferred to the Convales- 
cent Hospital in Virginia, and as soon as sufficiently 
recovered he joined his command at Raccoon Moun- 
tain. The regiment proceeded to Stevenson, Ala., 
where its main body re-enlisted. The surgeon re- 
jected Mr. Colley, and he was mustered out Oct. 31, 
1864, at Atlanta, Ga. 

Immediately after his discharge he came to Barry 
Co., Mich., and bought 40 acres of unimproved land, 
wliere he entered upon the work of the pioneer. 
He resided there nearly two years, when he sold out 
and entered a claim of 80 acres of land in Coldwater 
Township. The tract was wholly unimproved, and 
the pioneer experiences were as severe and full of 
privadon as are in the records of others that have 
been transcribed a countless number of times. Mr. 
Colley's arrival in the township was preceded by 
but one individual, Harry Brubaker, but he did not 
bring his family until after Mr. Colley came. Prices 
of provisions at the points where they were to be ob- 
tained were fabulous. Pork was 30 cents a pound, 
and flour sold at $22 per barrel. The only means 
of locomotion were furnished by ox teams, and the 
settlers were obliged to obtain all their su]ii)lies fronr 
Mt. Pleasant and Millbrook, traveling thither with 
oxen and camping out over night in the woods. One 
of his first crops was millet, which he sold for $40 
per ton, and bought potatoes for $2 a bushel. Dur- 
ing the first winter after their arrival they sold a 
piece of land in the southern part of the State. The 
nearest official by whom the papers could be made 
out lived at Millbrook, 18 miles distant. The ox 



^^ 



C^: 



St/ 

% 



'<^y^ s^^gJJKl 



4^^$(®>(H 



292 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






:^ 



^) 



team had been sent away to be kept through the win- 
ter, as they had no feed. Mr. and Mrs. Colley put 
their baby in a hand-sled and walked to Millbrook, 
in order to conclude their business engagement. It 
was midwinter and the journey was most wearisome. 
Mrs. Colley became so fatigued that she sat down on 
the sled with her little child in her arms, and her 
husband drew the double burden to enable her to 
recover her strength and obtain a little rest. 

Mr. Colley is a Republican in political faith and 
action, and has been prominent in the affairs relating 
to the progress of the township since he became a 
resident. He has served two terms as Justice of the 
Peace and one term as Township Treasurer, in which 
office he is now serving. 

Mr. Colley was married July 25, 1865, to Lucia M. 
Harper. She is a daughter of Benjamin F. and 
Delilah P. (Chase) Harper, and was born Dec. 10, 
1845. Mr. Harper's family included 13 children, nine 
of whom are living. Both parents are still alive and 
reside in Isabella County in the near vicinity of their 
daughter. The record of the children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Colley is as follows : Charles F., born Aug. 
7, 1866; Lloyd Clayton, July 26, 187 i ; Guy G., Nov. 
5, 1875; Walter Eugene, Jan. 13, 1882; Eva, Aug. 
5, 1876 (died March 6, 1877); Iva, Feb. 7, 1878 
(died Aprils, 1878); Lloyd David, Sept. 19, 1868 
(died Aug. 5, 187 1); Myron, July 14, 1879 (died 
Sept. 16, 1879). 

>y^^5^; illiam Ross, general merchant at Clare, 
'^jli^^ilil was born in the town of Mentz, N. Y., 
jl^iP^^''^ Dec. 9, i84r, and lived in his native place 
^> until 1 86 1, with his parents. His father, 
Hon. Giles Ross, came to this State and 
located in Livingston County, where he still re- 
sides, at the advanced age of 70. He has held 
various local offices, and has been Representative in 
the Legislature two terms. His wife, A. Melvina 
(Forshee) Ross, is also living. 

At the age of 1 3, the subject of this biography en- 
tered Auburn Academy, and took a course of five 
years, academic and collegiate. He lived with his 
parents on the home farm until 1872, when he came 
to Clare as State Road Superintendent, his father 
being a contractor. At that time the main street 



had only been "logged out;" wolves and deer were 
plentiful in the woods around, and were often seen 
in the town ; and there were but three mercantile 
establishments. His brother owned one of these, — ■ 
a general store, and here he worked while he erected 
a building for himself He often worked at night. 
He started first a flour and feed store, and three 
years later commenced the sale of general merchan- 
dise, on Main Street. He has done an annual busi- 
ness of $22,000. He owns a fine frame residence, 
and has in various ways contributed towards the 
building up of his town. 

He vvas married June i, 1865, in Hartland, Living- 
ston Co., Mich., to Miss Laurie A. Smith, who was 
born in that county about September, 1840. She re- 
ceived a good education, finishing at the State Normal 
School at Ypsilanti, and followed teaching as an oc- 
cupation until her marriage. The following chil- 
dren born to Mr. and Mrs. Ross are living: Junius, 
Derward, Giles and Charles (twinsj and Maud. 
Willie and Maud are the names of two who died. 

Mrs. R. is a memberof the Congregational Church. 
Mr. R. is politically independent, and was the first 
Trustee of the village. 



i 



^' 




'homas J. Root, fiirmer on section 29, Union 
Township, owning 100 acres on the eastern 
part of the northeast quarter of section 29, 
is a son of Collins and Hannah (Parker) Root, 
and was born in Ashtabula Co., Ohio, May 29, 
1839. He was reared on his father's farm and 
followed agriculture in Ohio until December, 1870, 
when he came to Union Township, this county, and 
bought his ])resent farm, ten acres of which were 
then cleared. He now has a fine farm, with 80 acres 
under cultivation, a valuable orchard, substantial 
barn and other improvements. 

He intends to make a specially of fine shee|), and 
has already 79 head, including 25 merinos. He takes 
an interest in horse-flesh also, and owns five good 
colts, besides a fine stallion sired by Henry Clay, Jr. 
At the Mt. Pleasant fair of 1883, he took two prizes 
for a span of roadsters, one aged two years and the 
other 13 years. At St. Louis, he took first prize for 
the two-year old as a roadster, and a second prize 
for his stallion. 



A 



>; 






n 



.^3!!l;gg;«3^ 



<^n!i:^in;>^ 



£1^. 



-^'^ 



io^- 



4^^^((^J^} 






1^ 



i;'5«v^tf**- 



-^if^ ^ crv C>iiii^n[i^->r 



4^^f®V^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



A 



>5 






293 



He was married in Andover Township, Ashtabula 
Co., Ohio, March 7, 1864, to Miss Martha C. Butler, 
daughter of George and Ruth E. (Cochran) Butler. 
She was born in the same locality where she lived 
until marriage, April 21, 1840. Of seven children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Root, all are living but one. 
Lena E. was born in Andover, June 26, 1865 ; Lem- 
uel J., .Vpril 10, 1868; Gertie, in Union Township, 
this county, April 5, 1870; Clinton L., July 29, 1874; 
Nina P., July 27, 1873; Claudie E., April 4, 1878; 
Bessie, and an infant which died unnamed, Aug. 
II. 1882. 

Mr. R. and wife are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. He has been Highway Commis- 
sioner for two years, and is the present incumbent. 

He enlisted Jan. 10, 1861, at Meadville, Pa., in 
Co. I, Tenth Pa. Vol. Inf., as a private under Capt. 
Ayer. He enlisted for " three years or the war," but 
was taken with erysipelas and fever at White-House 
Landing, in front of Richmond, and was discharged 
at Newark, N. J., Dec, 13, 1862, on account or disa- 
bility. June 18, 1864, at Galena, 111., he again enlisted, 
in Co. C, 140th 111. Vol. Inf. He held the appoint- 
ment of Third Sergeant, and served six months, 
fighting in a number of skirmishes with the guerrillas 
in Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi. He was 
finally discharged at Chicago, Oct. 27, 1864. 




•'^tsJiSfS^Sr'-'^^^^^ 



4^f®«ra?[>v 



.ames M. O'Brien, farmer on section 22, 
Vernon Township, was born in Ireland, in 
December, 1827, and at the age of 15 came 
with his sister to New Brunswick, where he 
yi lived for five years. Thence he went to the 
State of Maine, and three years later he came 
to Ontario, where he operated a saw-mill until 
1865. In the spring of that year he came to Sagi- 
naw, and in March, 1867, he settled on 80 acres of 
wild land in this county. Here they had many 
thrilling pioneer experiences and suffered many pri- 
vations incident to a life in a new country. Deer, 
foxes, bears, wolves and other animals were often near 
the house. Supplies could not be i)urchased nearer 
than 12 miles away, and extortionate prices were 
charged for the necessiries of life. Meat frequently 
sold at 25 cents per pound. Mr. O'Brien has now 



imjiroved about half his farm, which includes a fine 
orchard, six acres in extent. 

In December, 1846, at St. John's, N. U., he was 
united in marriage with Miss Catherine Sullivan, who 
was born in that city March 2, 1833. Nine children 
have been added to the household, seven of whom 
are now living. Their record is as follows : Bar- 
tholomew, born Aug. 12, 1847 ; Simon, Aug. 3, 1853; 
Anna, Jan. 17, 1856; Frank, May 5, 1857; Mary, 
April I, 1859; Irwin, May 11, 1S65 ; Margaret, July 

1, 1869. The deceased were Catherine, born March 

2, 1851, and died Feb. 17, 1868; and James, born 
in January, 1855, and died Aug. 19, 1877. 

Mr. O'Brien is politically a Democrat. He has 
held various local offices in his townshii). 



t 



'°. hineas J. Jakeway, carpenter and joiner, 
___.K- section 6, Lincoln Township, was born on 
f^ the site of Saratoga, N. Y., May 4, 1812, 
5'^ when but a few log huts comprised the build- 
ings of the place. When 14 years of age he 
was apprenticed to Chauncey Kidney, of Saratoga, to 
learn his trade; in 1828 he went with Mr. K. to 
Rochester, N. Y., remaining with him in his employ- 
ment ; at 2 1 he was made foreman, with the promise 
that, if he remained faithful, he should come into 
possession of all his master's property at his death, 
which provision was carried out, the property amount- 
ing to $5,000. After the deatli of Mr. Kidney, Mr. 
Jakeway continued his trade in Buffalo, N. Y. 

July 4, 1832, at Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., he 
married Eui)hemia Kerr, a native of Newark, N. J. 
The following year he moved to Calhoun Co., Mich., 
and completed some mills and bridges which had 
been contracted for previous to Mr. Kidney's death. 
Then he did some work in Branch County, while 
making his home in Calhoun County, in which latter 
place his wife died, in 1835, leaving two children, 
Calvin and Cynlhia, both of whom now reside in 
Wyoming Co., N. Y. In 1840 he built his last flour- 
ing mill, the first erected in Saginaw City, Mich. He 
then was in Buffalo, N. Y., until 1851, when he came 
to Detroit Mich., and built the residence of the noted 
millionaire, Capt. E. B. Ward. 

Next, he moved to Plymouth, Wayne Co., Mich., 
where, Oct. 10, 1858, for his second wife, he married 



^' 

A 

1 

i 

V) 






-jcj^^^^^sr 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-2»3^ ^^t>^SV^ 






1 
f 



t 



Mrs. Harriet E. Chapman, nee Edwards, who was 
born in Covington, Genesee Co., N. Y., Dec. i6, 1827, 
resided in Ohio from 1840 to 1854, and since that 
time in this State. By her first marriage her children 
were, Adelia, Henrietta J., Martha A., Seldon and 
John, — the second and third of whom are married 
and reside in Lincoln Township, this county, and the 
two latter are deceased. By the present marriage 
the children are Miles and Fred J. 

July 4, 1 86 1, Mr. Jakeway enlisted in Co. A, First 
Mich. Vol. Inf , in the Army of the Potomac, and 
was taken prisoner in July, 1862, during the seven- 
days battle at Gaines' Mill. After a confinement in 
Libby prison for five weeks, he was exchanged, and 
he was finally discharged at the hospital at Wash- 
ington, D. C, by Dr. Starr, in the fall of 1862. In 
December, 1863, he re-enlisted, in the Sixth Heavy 
Artillery, in the Department of the Gulf, under Gen. 
Banks. On his discharge, Sept. 5, 1865, he went to 
Ann Arbor, Mich. 

In February, r866, he came to this county and 
bought 40 acres where he still resides. He has con- 
tinued to work at his trade, having built most of the 
houses in Ml. Pleasant up to 1875. In 1874, his leg 
was mashed, in the erection of J. Q. A. Johnson's 
block. He erected the first self-supporting bridge 
across the Chippewa. Most of his land is improved, 
by his sons. 

In regard to national issues Mr. Jakeway votes 
with the Democratic party. 



^^^Eenry H. Graves, attorney at Mt. Pleasant, 
I was born Jan. 12, 1847, in Warsaw, Ky. 
fil,te#'** He is a son of Lorenzo and Virginia(Hamp- 
ton) Graves. His father was an attorney and 
died Feb. 13, 1873, at Warsaw. The mother 
is a native of Kentucky and resides at Mt. 
Pleasant with her daughter, Mrs. C. E. Westlake. 
On the breaking out of the Southern insurrection the 
family removed to Cincinnati, as they were not in 
sympathy with the rebellion. Two daughters, now 
Mrs. J. W. Long and Mrs. John B. Doughty, were 
placed at school in the Oxford Female College, at 
Oxford, Ohio, and Mrs. Westlake at a preparatory 
school. Mr. Graves, of this sketch, only son, Wiis 
sent to the Miami University at Oxford. After the 



war the family returned to Warsaw, where they re- 
sided until the death of the father, when, in 1873, 
they removed to Mt. Pleasant. 

Mr. Graves read for his profession with his father 
and became thoroughly familiar with office work 
under his direction. Later, he entered the Law De- 
partment of Louisville University, where he prad- 
uated in 1869. He was admitted to practice Feb. 8, 
18615, when but 18 years of age, and prosecuted the 
business of an active attorney until he received his 
degree. In the same fall he came to Detroit and en- 
tered the office of his brother-in-law, J. W. Long, then 
Indian agent. In 187 1 he came to Mt. Pleasant 
and opened an office for the practice of his profession, 
combining this with dealings in real estate. He was 
associated with S. J. Scott in the practice of law from 
1873 to 1876, and from that date until June, 1882, 
pursued his duties singly. He then became associa- 
ted with Cyrus E. Russell, which relation existed un- 
til March 4, 1884, when his partner withdrew. 

Mr. Graves has seen much public service in the 
affairs of his county. He was appointed Supervisor 
of Isabella Township in November, 187 i, to fill an 
unexpired term. He was also Highway Commissioner 
of that township one term. In 187 2 he was appointed 
Prosecuting Attorney of Isabella County, to fill the 
vacancy caused by the death of Albert Fox, and dis- 
charged the duties of the position until Jan. i, 1874. 
In 1876, and also in 1878, he was the candidate on 
the Democratic ticket, in opfxisition to S. W. Hopkins, 
for the position of Representative in the Legislature 
of Michigan. He was appointed Village Attorney in 
1S83, and re-appointed in 1884. In 1880 he was ap- 
pointed Chief of the Fire Department, which posi- 
tion he ha? filled continually to the present time. 

He was editor and proprietor of the Isabella Times 
during the years 1877-8, and sold his journalistic in- 
terests to Major Long. He managed the paper in 
the interests of the National Greenback party, and 
its later proprietor has converted the sheet into a Re- 
publican journal. 

Mr. Graves is a member of the Masonic fraternity 
and belongs to Wabon Lodge, No. 305, at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, and St. Louis (Gratiot Co.) Chapter, No. 87. He 
owns his residence at Mt. Pleasant and about 100 lots 
in the village of Longwood, north of the former 
place; also eight acres on section 15, of Union Town- 
ship, which he designs converting into a vineyard. 



Y. 



U 



9 






V 



^i 







(j^cyuA^. q/ a^^i^^i-y^-^^-t^^ 




I 

1 
If 



•^ 



V 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 



297 



He is connected with a company that owns 1,200 
acres of land in the counties of Leelanaw and Ein- 
mett. 

The marriage of Mr. Graves with LuUi B. Robin- 
son occurred April 18, 187 1, in Warsaw, Ky. She 
was born in that city and is the daughter of Frank 
S. and Martha P. Robinson. Mr. and Mrs. Graves 
have had six children, two of whom are deceased. 
Their births occurred as follows: James R., April 
18, 1872; Henry, Jan. 12, 1874, and died Nov. 30, 
1876; Lulu, Aug. 18,1876; and died Oct. 14,1883; 
Archibald, June 17, 1878; Thurman, Dec. 3, 1880; 
Nellie, March 22, 1883. 




(5^ 



Si 



enry Struble, retired merchant, Salt River 

is a son of John W. and Sarah (Laycock) 

Struble, who were natives of New Jersey, 

and settled first in Morrow Co., Ohio, where the 

former died, about 1834. The latter afterwnrd 

I removed to Fulton Co., Ohio, and in i86r died 

at the residence of her son Henry, in Williams 

County, that State. Their family comprised seven 

children. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Morrow Co., 
Ohio, Nov. i8, 1824, and when ten years of age his 
father died; he remained at home with his mother 
until of age, working for the support of his mother 
and the younger members of the family much of his 
time until 16 years of age. In the meantime he 
learned the tanner's trade, and when of age he em- 
barked in the business with his brother William, in 
Morrow County, and also in Williams County. The 
partnership continued about seven years; Henry 
then carried on the business alone for about five 
years, when, on account of failing health, he aban- 
doned the vocation and engaged in the butcher's 
business for about four years. He then entered the 
mercantile trade, first in Fulton County and after- 
wards in Williams Co., Ohio. In three or four years 
he sold out and returned to butchering for about 
two years. 

In June, 1868, Mr. Struble came to this county and 
embarked in mercantile business at Salt River, and, 
although he met with many heavy losses, he prose- 
cuted a flourishing trade imtil 1874, when he sold out 
to his son, N. W. Struble, and purchased a farm of 



40 acres in Chippewa Township, managed it about 
two years, sold, and moved to Salt River, where he 
has since resided. He was once elected Highway 
Commissioner for a term of three years, but, on 
account of business, he resigned after one year. He 
has oflen been urged to accept various public trusts, 
but has generally refused such positions, never aspir- 
ing to office. In national affairs he acts decidedly 
with the Republican party. He is a charter member 
of the blue lodge of Freemasons at Salt River, also 
of the Royal Arch Chai)ters at Mt. Pleasant and St. 
Louis, and of the Salt River Lodge of Odd Fellows. 

Mr. Struble was first married, in Fulton Co., Ohio, 
to Miss Rebecca J., daughter of Barrett and Guthrie 
Murphy, who were natives of New England. Mrs. 
S. was born in Richland Co., Ohio. 

In this family were born three children, namely : 
Nathaniel W., Rebecca J. and Sarah L., — the latter 
dying when 18 months old. Mrs. S. died in Fulton 
Co., Ohio, and Mr. S. was again married, in the same 
county, to Eliza, daughter of James H. Wickham. 
She was born in England. By this marriage, there 
are four children, viz. : Catherine M., Jason H., 
Albert and Kenneth. 









% eter Sanford, general farmer, section 3, 

Lincoln Township, was born near Mount 

.,|,|l!^i«--^ Morris, Livingston Co., N. Y., Nov. 27, 
'j:'.'^ 1831. Excepting a few years spent in Canada 
.jljil and Michigan, he remained at home with his 
'\^ parents until 30 years old. Being the eldest 
of seven children, three boys and four girls, he had 
in a great measure to care for them and a widowed 
mother. 

He was married in 1855, to Miss Rlioda Ann 
Campbell, a native of New York, who died at her 
home in Allegany Co., N. Y., seven years afterward. 
Slie had one child, Melvin, who was born May 27, 
1857. Two years after her death, Mr. S. came to 
Michigan and located a quarter of section 3, Lincoln 
Township. Aug. 22, 1865, he was again married, in 
C"oe Township, this county, to Miss Sarah E., daugh- 
ter of Isaac E. and Margaret (Withum) Hunt, natives 
of Ohio, where Mrs. S. was born, in Bennington, 
Morrow County, June 22, 1845. When 16 years of 



®)^#- 



^'^^ @7H'>D !1 '^Mt^y^ ^"^§3^^ 



4^ 




(S)$^#^' 



~^iiif%^fi^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



age she came to this State, and devoted some years 

to teaching. She is a member of the Free Methodist 

''X^ Church. Their children are, Minnie M., born Feb. 

I 15, 1867; Hattie E., April 14, 1873; and Floyd I., 

(5; Sept. 6, 1 88 1. 

Mr. Sanford has disposed of half his original pur- 
chase, and improved 50 acres; has held the school 
oflfices of his township, and in politics is a decided 
Republican. 

Mr. Sanford's portrait is given on a previous page. 



1=3 



^ 



^''^^ Hh i^li^i^ Horning, farmer on section 36, 
^l i^^l lr Vernon Township, was born in Jefterson 
^^^ Co., Pa., Nov. 14, 1848, and went with his 
^) parents when six years old to New York 
State ; three years later, to Lorain Co., Ohio; 
and in 1866 to this county, locating on the town- 
ship and section above mentioned. In 1874 
he purchased 40 acres of land, all wild, and of this 
tract three-fourths is now cleared and under cultiva- 
tion; and he has also erected good farm buildings. 

Jan. I, 1876, in this county, he was united in mar- 
riage with Miss Angic Matthews, who was born in 
Richland Co., Ohio, Nov. 8, 1857, and came to 
Isabella in 1874. Two children have been born: 
Quincy E., Jan. 27, 1877; ^"d Myrtic M., Nov. 27, 
1879. 

In political faith, Mr. H. is a zealous Republican. 



ames Kinney, farmer, section 3, Isabella 
i^ Township, was born in St. Nicholas, Prov. 
ince of Quebec, Canada, June 7, 1856. 
While quite young he accompanied his parents 
to Cornwall, Ont., and there lived for seven 
years. From Cornwall the family moved to 
Dickinson's Landing, Stormont Co., Can., taking 
James with them. He lived with his p.irents in this 
county, assisting his father in the maintenance of 
the family and receiving the advantages of the com- 
mon schools, until he attained the age of 16 years. 
On arriving at this age, Mr. Kinney left the parental 
home and engaged to learn the art of cooking, which 
he readily actpiired and followed, being engaged as 
cook in lumber camps a number of years. 





In the fall of 1874, Mr. Kinney came to this coun- 
ty and purchased 1 20 acres of land on sections 3 
and 10, Isabella Township. He did not settle on 
this land until the spring of 1881, when he located 
on 40 acres of the original 120 he had purchased. 
He has cleared and improved 36 acres of the 40 and 
the remaining 84 acres is heavily timbered. 

On the 14th of November, 1881, Mr. Kinney was 
united in marriage at Mt. Pleasant, this county, with 
Miss Mary, daughter of James and Alice (McHaney) 
Fitzgerald, natives of Ireland. Her father died in 
Evart, Osceola Co., this State, and her mother lives in 
Deerfield Township, this county. Mary was born in 
Ontario, March 11, 1863, and came to this county 
with her parents, where she has constantly resided 
since 1878. The husband and wife are the parents 
of two children ; Frederick J., born Aug. i, 1882; 
and Ellen L., born Dec. 23, 1883'. They are both 
members of the Roman Catholic Church, and have 
been connected with the same from childhood. Po- 
liticall) Mr. Kinney is a Democrat. 



it,'*a';mos r. Albright, farmer, section 24, Gil- 
}j fi"ifi ii nioreTownship, wasborn May 15, 1801, in 
J-Ijfc^ Seneca, N. Y. His parents were natives of 
"''ilf Germany ; and the son is the sole survivor of 
.% a large family. While he was a babe, his parents 
1 removed to Genesee Co. N. Y., where he re- 
mained a resident until he was 31 years old. 

In 1832 Mr. Albright went to Ross Co., Ohio, where 
he resided four years. While there he buried his 
first wife, two children, mother and brother. He 
was a miller and millwright by trade, and he built 
and owned several mills in Michigan. He went to 
Oakland Co., Mich., in 1836, where he remained un- 
til 1838. His next remove was to Livingston County, 
this State. He built there a flouring mill, which 
proved an unfortunate investment, and, not long af- 
ter his property passed out of his hands he went to 
Davisonville, Oakland Co. .where he remained two 
years, going thence to Northville, Mich. While liv- 
ing there he buried his second wife. He made an- 
other remove to Milford, where he built a flouring 
mill. He next went to Linden, Genesee Co., Mich., 
where he spent a year occupied in building a grist- 
mill. In 1864 he became Superintendent of the 



V&' 



A 



4 



1^> 



r? 



-si^^>^ 



fc 



i 

m 



M:^r^)^m^ 



-as^^^ 



I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



ri^^ 4^^5(<®V(^ 






(A> 



A 



^ 



I 



299 



Government mills at Indian Village in Isabella 
County, which furnished the milling supplies for the 
Indians. He operated in that capacity until 1870, 
when he entered a homestead claim of 80 acres and 
has since devoted his attention to farming. 

Mr. Albright was married in 1822 to Olive Wheeler, 
by whom he had six children. Three of these met 
with death by accident, one by scalding, one by 
drowning and one by laudanum poisoning. His sec- 
ond marriage, to Miss Marietta Blackman, occurred 
in 1837. The issue of this union was four children, 
the youngest of whom lost his life in the battle of the 
Wilderness. The third marriage of Mr. Albright oc- 
curred in 1846, and his wife Lore him seven children. 
He is a Baptist in religious connection and a zealous 
Republican in politics. One of the most prominent 
positions of his life was that of member of the con- 
vention at Jackson, Mich., when the Republican 
party was organized. He has held several local offi- 
cial positions. 



i^ L than Button, farmer, section 9, Ueerfield 
®'*llt) Township, IS a son of Ethan and Lois 
(Beels) Button, the former a native of St. 
j|f^ Lawrence Co., N. Y., and the latter of Connec- 
ticut. They first settled in Oswego Co., N. Y., 
where the former died, May 26, 1862 The 
widow afterward came to this county, and died Aug. 
2, 1879, at the residence of her son Ethan, in Deer- 
field Township. In this family were 14 children, 
seven of whom grew up, si.x sons and one daughter. 
Tiie subject of this sketch was the 13th in the 
above mentioned family. He was born in Oswego 
Co., Jan. 22, 1843, educated at the common school, 
and at 15 years of age was employed on the Erie 
Canal, where he continued for 15 seasons. He then 
settled on a farm in Oswego County, which he had 
purchased some time previously, and which he car- 
ried on for two seasons, and then exchanged it, in 
1878, for a quarter of section 9, Deerfield Township, 
this county, where he resides. He has since bought 
and sold different tracts of land, but he still owns 
160 acres, 22 of which is subdued to cultivation. 

In Oswego Co., N. Y., Jan. 8, 1865, Mr. Button 
married Miss Eunice, daughter of Lorenzo and An- 
nette (Porter) Bartlett, natives of that county, where 




they still reside. Mrs. B. was born in the same 
county, May 30, 1847. The children of Mr. and 
Mrs. B. are: George L., Annie E., James E., Ida 
May and Harvey R. One died in infancy. 'I'lie par- 
ents are of the Methodist persuasion, and in politics 
Mr. B. is a Republican. 



;ra*P illiam W. Cox, of the firm of W. W. Cox 
jM^;, & Co., druggists at Mt. Pleasant, was born 

^i»v_i'>^'^* April 12, iSci, in Princess Anne Co., 
vkSn Va , and is the son of Isaac and Virginia 

J4^ (Williamson) Cox. His father was born in 

X, Albany Co., N. Y., Sept. 4, 182 i, and was a physi- 
cian by profession, graduating in 1848, at the Wood- 
stock (Vt.) Medical College. He died Jan. 23, 1865, 
in the city of Philadeljihia. His mother was born 
Nov. 12, 1830, in Norfolk Co., Va., and is now living 
in Berkeley, in that county. 

When he was. less than two years old the parents ot 
Mr. Cox went to Southampton Co., Va. He attended 
common schools until he was about 14 years old, 
when he came to Michigan and entered the drug 
store of his uncle, Dr. W. G. Cox, at Ypsilanti. He 
remained there five years, meanwhile attending the 
Department of Pharmacy at the University of Michi- 
gan, one term. About 1872 he opened a drug store 
in Detroit, which he continued to manage 18 months. 
He went thence to Howard City, Montcalm County, 
where he was similarly engaged two years, after 
which he went to Norfolk, Va., and was employed in 
that city four years as a clerk. In April, 1879, he 
entered the naval service of the United States, en- 
listing at Norfolk for special duty as first-class aix)the- 
cary. He officiated in that capacity three years, and 
came thence to Milan, Monroe Co., Michigan, where 
he opened a drug store. He continued in business 
there eight months, when he returned to Norfolk and 
spent two years as a clerk. In February, 1884, he 
opened his present business at Mt. Pleasant, where 
he is now meeting with satisfactory success. Mr. 
Cox is a member of the Order of Knights of Pythias, 
the American Legion of Honor, Chosen Friends and 
Knights of Maccabees. 

His marriage to Mary E. Winnigder took i)lace in 
Berkeley, Va., Oct. 16, 1879. She was born May 17, 
1859, in Portsmouth, Va., and is ihedaughter of Jacob 



il 






% 



))«^|« 



^^^^^^ 



jzi^ 



A<^D!]^nnr>^ 



-4^^ 




■:2^^ 6V<^^I1 tl § n Dn>V^e« :J^^ 



4^^f 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



and Virginia (Smith) Winnigder. Tiie children of Mr. 
and Mrs. Cox were born as follows: Clarence B., in 
Portsmouth, Va., Nov. i8, 1880, and William G., 
Nov. 9, 1883, in Berkeley, Va. 




2 

% 



V 



eorge E. Dixon, farmer on section 8, Den- 
ver Township, is a son of Joseph and Eliz- 

p{ abeth (Summons) Dixon, natives of Ireland, 
who emigrated to Quebec in 1843 and lived 
there till their death. He was born in Quebec, 
June 23, 1847, and when quite young went to live 
with an uncle in Petersboro Co., C. W., where he 
remained three years. He came to Saginaw in 1865 
and was employed in a saw-mill about three years. 
He then spent a year in Manitoba, and returning to 
Saginaw was employed on the river handling logs 
most of the time until January, 1882. He then came 
to Isabella County and settled on 80 acres of wild 
land in Denver Township, which he had bought the 
year previous. He built a good log house and other 
buildings, and now has 25 acres cleared. 

He was married in Saginaw City, Nov. 25, 1875, 
to Miss Mary A., daughter of Richard and Mary 
(Raggart) Pearson, natives of Ireland. She was 
born in Canada, Sept. 25, 1851, and is the mother of 
one son, George E. 

Mr. Dixon is politically a Reiniblican. He and 
wife are members of the Episcopal Church. 



eorge B. Horning, farmer and carpenter, 
residing on section 36, Vernon Township, 
was born in C)swego Co., N. Y., March 20, 
1S46, and is a son of Adam N. and Mary A. 
(Waldon) Horning, natives of New York, and 
of German-English descent. Mr. Horning, 
Sr., was by occupation a farmer, moved when George 
was very young to Lorain Co., Ohio, and after several 
other moves died, in Texas, in 1880. His wife died 
in this county, in 1872. 

The subject of this biography lived with his par- 
ents, attending the school and growing up after the 
manner of most farmers sons until 18 years of age. 
He then followed the lakes as a sailor for about 





K-V®)5«^# 



,>Ci^ 



seven years. He was on the " Black Swan" when 
she sunk near Cleveland, in 1862, and escaped un- 
hurt with the rest of the crew. The succeeding three 
years he was employed in a vineyard on the banks of 
Lake Erie; and in August, 1865, he selected this 
county as his permanent home. The following year 
he bought 40 acres on section 13, Vernon. This he 
did not occupy ; but he afterwards bought 40 acres 
on section 36, where he has since resided, and has 
improved the whole tract. 

He was married Aug. 19, 1870, in Vernon Town- 
ship, this county, to Catherine Curtis, daughter of 
Henry and Margaret (Miller) Curtis, natives of 
Ontario, Can., where the daughter also was born, 
Oct. 10, 1853. Losing her father when two years 
old, she lived with her mother until her marriage, 
coming to this State when 1 1 years old. Three chil- 
dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. H., only one of 
whom is living. Irvin VV. was born March 21, 1876 ; 
and Myrtle A. was born Oct. 25, 1879. 

Mr. H. is a member of Clare Lodge, No. 333, 1. O. 
O. F., and is politically an earnest Republican. He 
has been School Inspector, Highway Commissioner 
two terms and Justice of the Peace. This last office 
he has held four years. 



homas McGuire, farmer, section ir, Gil- 
more Township, was born March 10, 1844, 
^ in Canada. His parents, Charles and Re- 
becca (Boyd) McGuire, are natives of Ireland 
and reside in Ontario, Can. Mr. McGuire re- 
sided with his parents until he was of age, and 
when he began his struggle in life on his own respon- 
sibility, he engaged in lumbering, in which he was in- 
terested five years. At the expiration of that time, 
he removed to Saginaw, where he was engaged in 
similar business ten years. About 1873 he purchased 
80 acres of land in Isabella County, of which he took 
possession Oct. 13, 1870. At the time he located 
upon it, it was wholly unimproved, but diligent and 
persistent labor has placed 55 acres in creditable 
farming condition. Mr. McGuire is a Democrat in 
political connection. 

His marriage to Sarah McKnight occurred Sept. 




Vr, 









C 






<}n%iw> 



w 



f^#^ 



r^m^ 



ISABELLA COlfNTY. 



•zz^^^ 



^^m^^ 



301 



4 



V 






24, 1878. She was born April 10, 1858, and is the 
daughter of Samuel and Mary (Mills) McKnight. 
Robert B., only child, was born Nov. 12, 1879. 



ewis C. Hawkins, farmer on section 7, 

Denver Township, is a son of Jacob and 

^^ Margaret Hawkins, natives of Steuben and 
|j Dutchess Cos., N. Y. His father died in Wayne 
Co., Mich., Oct. 15, 1861, and his mother yet 
survives. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Wayne Co., 
Mich., Oct. 14, 1835. He attended the common 
schools in his youth and lived in his native county 
until 26 years old, employed in farming. He after- 
wards removed to Ingham County, where he worked 
at different occupations nearly 17 years. He then 
lived a short time in Kent County, and in November, 
1876, he came to Isabella County and bought 80 
acres where he has since lived. He has about 35 
acres improved. 

He was married in Ingham County, Mich., Oct. 
13, 186 1, to Emily, daughter of Alexander and Emily 
(Bailey) Moore, he a native of Ireland and she of 
the State of New York. Mrs. Hawkins was born in 
Schuyler Co., N. Y., Feb. 14, 1846, and is the mother 
of one son, Claud L., born March 4, 1878. 

Mr. H. has been Township Treasurer two years. 
Justice of the Peace four years, Supervisor three 
years, and has held various school offices. He is 
the present Supervisor of Denver. He enlisted 
Aug. 7, 1862, in the 24th Mich. Vol. Inf., and served 
till Dec. 31, of the same year. He was honorably 
discharged for disability. 



Ofhomas Phillips, farmer, section 3, Deer- 
field Townsliip, was born in Ontario, Can., 
Oct. 3, 1834; his father, Matthew Phillips, 
was a native of Pennsylvania, and died when 
he (Thomas) was a year and a half old. The 
latter was adopted by William Cosgrove, of 
West Gillensbury, Ontario, Can., and lived with him 
until 15 years old. The next four years he worked 
by the month, after which he cuUivated a rented 
farm for five years. He then was employed l)y the 

^ At2c^i?.,. -^^f:. ^A< ■i H !] 





month for six years, after which, in his 31st year, he 
moved to Michigan, arriving in West Bay City May 
3, 1S65, where lie resided five years, and in South 
Bay City, nearly five years ; in 1874 he came to this 
county, where, on section 3, he has since resided as 
a farmer, except one year at Bay City. When he 
made his present location the only white men within 
six miles were two lumbermen ; so that he is truly a 
pioneer. 

Sept. 27, 1853, Mr. Phillips married Miss Jane 
Alexander, who was born in Ontario, Can., Nov. 12, 
1S36. Eight children have been born in this family, 
six sons and two daughters, namely: Joseph, William 
Henry, Thomas Albert, Frankie and Annie, living; 
Mary Jane died March 27, 1865 ; Edmond (" Eddie "), 
in March, 1872 ; an infant died at birth. 



if#|jk illiani I. Simmons, general farmer, section 
^.wUl) [jj Lincoln Township, was born in Novi, 

jj_»Y~i Oakland Co., Mich., May 22, 185:. His 

v^K.' father, Richmond C, was born in Wayne 
County, Mich., of New England ancestry 
and has ever been identified with the agricul- 
tural interests of Wayne and Oakland Counties ; is 
one of the most prominent farmers of his county. 
His grandparents were people of unusual force of 
character, and possessed a large amount of property 
in Wayne County, this State. His mother, Hiildah 
(iiee Power) Simmons, is a native of the Empire 
State, of New England ancestry, and is still living, in 
Oakland Co., Mich. 

The subject of this sketch is the eldest of four 
children, — three sons and one daughter; lived with 
his parents until 30 years of age; was educated at 
the Northville union school, at Ypsilanti, Pontiac and 
Ann Arbor. During the summer he worked on his 
father's farm until he was 20 years of age, when he 
began teaching in the public schools. He graduated 
at the State Normal School at Ypsilanti in 1872, and 
until 1882 he alternated between teaching and at- 
tending college. His last school was in the district 
where he now lives. He has had two union schools, 
namely, at Farmington, Oakland Co., Mich., and at 
Pewanio, Ionia County. He is a member of the 
Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a Repub- 
lican. 

Sept. 8, 1880, in Plymouth Township, Wayne Co., 



9 

1 







ISABELLA COUNTY. 



i 



>5 

ISC 



Mich., Mr. Simmons was married to Miss Hattie E., 
daughter of John and Sarah (Gumming) Shoesmith, 
natives respectively of England and Canada, and of 
English ancestry, who now reside in Ingham Coun- 
ty, this State. Mrs. S. was born at Almont, Lapeer 
Co., Mich., Jan. i, 1857, where she lived until six 
years old, and then went to Wayne County, where 
she grew up and was educated. She is a member of 
the Regular Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. S. have 
one child, Floy L., born May 2, 1882. 



fames Reed is a farmer of Wise Township, re- 

\\t siding on section 16. He is a native of the 

Dominion of Canada, where he was born 

in October, 1842. His parents, James and 

Margaret (Erwin) Reed, were born in Ireland 

and emigrated to Canada, where the father 

died, in 1842. The mother still survives 

Mr. Reed remained in his native province of 
Lower Canada until 14 years old, and then in Upper 
Canada until 7866, when he came to St. Clair Co., 
Mich., and resided there 12 years, on a farm of 40 
acres which he owned. In November, 1877, he sold 
his property and came to Isabella County. He re- 
sided some time at Loomis, but eventually bought a 
farm in Denver Township. On this he pursued 
agriculture about four years, when he bought 120 
acres of improved and in Wise Township. He has 
cleared about 18 acres. In politics Mr. Reed is a 
Republican. 

He was married March 25, 1864, in the county of 
Victoria, Can., to Sarah A. Hook. They have had 
ten children, eight living. Robert E., William J., 
Charles W., Margaret J., James H., Almina M., 
Albert Allen and Alice Ann. The two last named 
are twins. Mary R. and an infant are deceased. 





" ieholas Phillips, farmer, section 36, Gil- 
ls' more Township, was born Aug. 25, 1834, 
in West Kent, England, and is the son of 
W> \y Jos^l'l'' ^"d Mary (Johnson) Phillips, both of 
0^ "/^ whom were natives of England, The mother 

died Dec. 25, 1881. 
^ Mr. Phillips emigrated to this country in Novum- 



bar, 1855, and he first took up his residence at 
Marshall, Mich., where he spent six months farming- 
and chopping. At the expiration of that time he 
went to Detroit and worked for a butcher seven 
months. In January, 1866, he purchased 80 acres of 
land in Isabella County, whither he removed his 
family Oct. i, 1868. Not long afterward he entered 
a claim of 80 acres under the provisions of the Home- 
stead Act near the land he purchased and where he 
has since resided. He is one of the earliest settlers 
of Gilmore Township, and has held various town- 
ship offices. 

Mr. Phillips was married July'5, 1S61, to Cynthia 
Jane, daughter of Isaac P. Terry. She was born 
Nov. 28, 1844. Following is the record of the six 
children born of this union : Mary E. was born Oct. 
I, 1864; George Edwin, May 14, 1866; Emma Ger- 
trude, born April 26, 1868; Francis Warren, June 
24, 1874 ; Joseph Henry was born Nov. 7, 1862, and 
died May i, 1877. Thomas A. was born May 14, 
1866, and died June 25, 1870. 



eorge M. Quick, carpenter and lumberman, 

. I .- resident at Loomis, was born April 23, 1839, 

"viv *" '" Canada, and is a son of James and 

Sarah J. (Loranay) Quick. His parents were 

natives of Pennsylvania. 

The first 20 years of the life of Mr. Quick 
were passed in his native place, and during that period 
he attended school, worked at farming and was also 
occupied in lumbering. At the age mentioned he went 
to the city of New York, where he remained about 
three months, and at the end of that time he came 
to Saginaw County, Mich. He spent three years there 
in lumbering, and in 1863 he went to Kentucky and 
other Southern States in the employ of the United 
States Government, and worked as a carpenter about 
two years, when he returned to Saginaw County and 
for a few months followed his trade there. He went 
thence to Grand Haven, Ottawa County, where he 
remained until 1869. In that year he again returned 
to Saginaw County. In the spring of 187 i he came 
to Isabella County and located at Loomis, where he 
has since resided with the exception of 1 8 months, 
which he spent in Saginaw County and the northern 
counties of Michigan. Since he became a resident 




A 



5>; 



s:/ 



f 



r 






i^)^/^l»«^#- 



■r:r-7 



^nn^iiny> 



T" 



"sas^^^sT 



i 






^ 



A 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Z°Z 



~\ 



J, 



of Loomis he has been occupied' as a carpenter and 
lumberman. 

Mr. ()uick belongs to the Democratic i)arty in pol- 
itics. He has been prominent in public life and 
was first elected Supervisor of Wise Township in the 
spring of 1873. He served one year, and in the 
spring of 1876 was re-elected and continued in the 
incumbency of that office until the spring of 1S81. 
He has been Higliway Commissioner two years, Jus- 
tice of the Peace two years, and in 1876 was ap- 
pointed Notary Public, which position he still holds. 
He is a member of tlie Masonic Order and belongs 
to VVaubon Lodge, No. 305, at Loomis. 

He vas married March 10, 1865, in East Saginaw, 
to Abby A., daughter of Russell and Loretta (Fan- 
cher) Lytle. The parents were natives of the State 
of New York, and the daughter was born Jan. 14, 
1848, in Shiawassee Co., Mich. Of five children born 
to them three are living, — Effie M., Charles M. and 
Ella L. Martha J. and Vida are deceased. 




, ames ]j. Bush, farmer and proprietor of the 
^- " Half-Way House," between Clare and 
)unt Pleasant, at present residing on 
section 10, Isabella Township, was born in 
Petersboro Co., Ont., June 25, 1837. He is 
the oldest of a family of nine children, and 
was reared on the farm, assisting his father in the 
maintenance of the family. He remained under the 
parental roof-tree until he attained the age of man- 
hood, when he engaged on a steamboat and soon 
became a pilot on a Rice Lake boat, which position 
he held for ten years. 

Among the reminiscences of his life during his 
vocation as a pilot, he relates that on one occasion a 
lady passenger missed her footing and fell into the 
lake, and he, being a good swimmer, jumped in and 
rescued her from a watery grave. On another occa- 
sion, — having from boyhood turned his attention to 
music and become proficient in the use of the violin, 
— while a large dance was in progress, he began play- 
ing on his violin in the immediate neighborhood, and' 
soon the hall was vacated, and the dancers stood 
listening to the sweet music of our subject's skillful 
performance rather than keep time to that of a first- 
class string band which was playing for them. 



Three years after the death of his father, Mr. Bush 
brought his mother, brothers and sisters to this State 
and located in Midland County. At this time he 
became proprietor of the "Half- Way House" between 
Midland City and Mt. Pleasant, and for si.x years 
successfully conducted the same. At the expiration 
of that time he went to Clare, Clare County, and es- 
tablished the first hotel ever built in that place. At 
this period in the life of Mr. Bush he received a very 
severe injury, which was undoubtedly the cause of 
his mother's death and came very near costing him 
his life. He was at Mt. Pleasant, and while there 
and engaged in moving a house, a beam struck him, 
breaking his jaw and also his shoulder. Few men 
could have received the injury he did and recover, 
and to his hardihood and iron constitution he is in- 
debted for his life. 

In December, 1873, he came to tiiis county and 
located on section 10, Isabella Township, and en- 
tered at once on the laborious task of improving his 
land. The purchase he made was all wild land — a 
forest — and with his usual energy and perseverance 
he entered on the arduous though pleasant task of 
clearing and improving it, determined to make a 
permanent home for himself and family. 

Mr. Bush was united in marriage at Sidney, Ont., 
Dec. 23, 1873, to Miss Nancy J. Hanna, a native of 
the same county in which Mr. B. was born, and of 
Scotch extraction. She was born Aug. 5, 1839, and 
lived with her parents until the date of her marriage. 
Mrs. Bush is the mother of five children born to her 
husband. The living are Jerry T., born Nov. 25, 
1873; and Emily J., Sept. 28, 1882. Mary J., James 
H. and Hattie M. are deceased. The husband and 
wife are members of the Presbyterian and Methodist 
Episcopal Churches respectively, and in ])olitics Mr. 
B. is a Republican. 



?^? 



'i5-i5^^i£2i50^0£^;t^i,,f^ 



l^jharles W. Robir.son, fujner and mer- 
-117 -^ chant, section 2^, Rolland Townshii), is a 
p'lP son of Barton C. and Henrietta (Ransford) 
VI, Robinson, natives of Ohio. His father, an 
'jV agriculturist, emigrated to Gilead, Branch Co., 
Mich., and afterward to Calhoun County, 
where he now resides, in the city of Marshall, en- 
gaged in gardening for the city. His mother died in 
1S59, in Blanch County. 



i 






t 



©) 







v<^WmUr>r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



> 



Mr. R. was born Aug. 22, 1852, in the last named 
county; was nine years old when the family returned 
to Calhoun County; was in Iowa two years; then in 
Branch County a year; then worked on a farm in 
St. Joseph County four years, and finally came to 
this county, setding on 80 acres of section 23, where 
he now resides ; but half of ihis he has since sold. 

Politically, Mr. R. is a Republican, and he has 
held the official position of Cons'able. 

In 1875, Mr. Robinson married Elizabeth Kreigh- 
baum, who was born May 25, 1858, a daughter of 
George and Caroline (Dougherty) Kreighbaum, 
natives of Ohio. Her mother died in 1876, in this 
county; her father, who has been a farmer and a 
carpenter, is still living with this family. Mr. and 
Mrs. R. have three children, namely : Charles H., 
born March 29, 1877 ; George F., May 28, 1879; and 
Barton, July 7, 1881. 




■^aeaeriSiC-' 



^^^^;^. 



.^Qfumn^ 



onas C. Cope, farmer on section 9, Vernon 
Township, was born in Brant Co., Ont., 
Feb. 7, 1831 ; and is the son of David and 
), Amanda (Patrick) Cope, natives of Canada and 
r New York. The parents are yet living in Brant 
County, aged respectively 85 and 83. They 
have reared six children, — -Melinda M., Frances L., 
Charlotte C, Ransom M., Jonas C. and Lewis C. 
All are living and reside in Ontario, with the excep- 
tion of Ransom M., who served four years in the 
army and now lives in Nebraska, and Jonas C, the 
subject of this sketch. The father of the family is 
worth about $15,000, and his sons are well-to-do 
farmers. 

The subject of this sketch attended school and 
worked on his father's farm until 16 years old, when 
he apprenticed himself to Messrs. Fisher & McQues- 
tion, of Hamilton, Ont., to learn the trade of molder. 
After serving his time (four years), he came to this 
State, first locating at Romeo, Macomb County. 
Here, for some five years, he worked at carpentry, 
which he had learned without special preparation. 
Returning to Ontario, he lived nine years more in 
his native country, working at the same trade. In 
April, 1869, he came to Ovid, Clinton County, and 
for the next four years he carried on farming. In the 



fall of 1873 he came to this county and settled on 
160 acres, the northeast (juarter of section g, Vernon 
Township. This farm, covered with an unbroken 
forest, he had purchased in 1869. By industry and 
perseverance, he has redeemed a large portion of his 
farm to a condition of usefulness, has erected good 
buildings, and is now beginning to reap the rewards 
of his labor. 

He was married in Romeo, Macomb Co., Mich., 
Jan. I, 1856, to Miss Orpha Beagle, who was born 
in that county .April 19, 1837. Her parents, Charles 
B. and Salomi (Inman) Beagle, were natives of New 
England, followed farming, and died in this State, 
the mother in 1839 and the father in 1878. Mrs. 
Cope lived with her fatherand step-mother unul mar- 
riage, receiving a good English education. Follow- 
ing is the record of the children of this marriage: 
Roselta M. E., born June 4, 1858; Chades D. M., 
Dec. 29, 1859; Ella A., May 4, 1865; Lewis Frank- 
lin, Nov. 21, 1866: Ransom M. W., Dec. 31, 1870; 
and Cora E., Nov. 30, 187 i. The two deceased are : 
a child which died in infancy ; and George A., born 
Nov. 21, 1861, and died Oct 22, 1863. Rosetta M. 
E. was married Jan. i, 1878, to John A. Allen, a 
farmer of Vernon Township. Charles D. M. is em- 
ployed in a mill at Mt. Pleasant. The otiiers are at 
home. 

Mr. and Mrs. C. aic members of the Free Method- 
ist Church, with which denomination he has been 
long connected. He filled the pulpit for ten years. 
Hf is politically an "Andrew Jackson Democrat." 
Being no office-seeker, he has invariably declined 
the positions of trust and honor which have been ten- 
dered him. 



Ijfimothy Dingman, farmer, secliun 26, Isa- 
bella Township, was born in Lexington, 
^ Co., Ont., June 15, 1834. His parents 




% 



died when Timothy was only two years old 
and he went to live with his uncle in North- 
umberland County. He remained with his 
uncle, working on the farm and a portion of the time 
attending the common schools, until he attained the 
age of 14 years. On arriving at this age, Mr. Ding- 
man went to work in tlie lumber woods, which voca- 
tion he continued until 26 years of age. He then 

Di-^A-^r '^^^^—, 4^^^ 



'^ 



V. 



^5 

1 

V) 



I: 





''^^^■^^ 




y^h^,/fj^^^z^€ 



'€^ 



^ 



CO 
A 

1 






? — 

4 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






went to Clearfield Co., Pa., and there engaged in the 
same occupation for one year, when he went to 
Niagara Falls and ran a saw-mill for five years. 

On leaving Niagara Falls, Mr. Dingnian came to 
this State and settled in Ovid, Clinton County. Five 
years later, in 1S73, he came to this county and after 
a year at Mt. Pleasant, rented the " poor farm," which 
he cultivated for three years with a moderate degree 
of success. Leaving that farm, he moved to Isabella 
Township. He had purchased 40 acres on section 26, 
in 1873, and in 1874 purchased 40 acres on section 
22, that township, and it was on this land he moved 
and began the arduous task of improving it. The 
land was heavily limbered, a perfect forest ; and yet, 
having a firm faith in the future development of the 
county and the neighborhood, the enormous amount 
of labor necessary to clear and improve it did not 
daunt him. He has battled against obstacles and 
trials, and now has 40 acres of his land under a good 
state of cultivation. He has met with considerable 
disaster, his house, which cost him $1,000, having 
been destroyed by fire May 23, 1883, with almost all 
his household goods; and yet he never gave way to 
despair, but went manfully to work and soon had the 
burnt structure replaced. His energy and persever- 
ance, coupled with integrity and fair dealing, has 
given him a prominence in his township, and his 
prosperity in the face of adversity has demonstrated 
his right to be denominated one of the progressive 
farmers of the township. 

Mr. Dingman was united in marriage, May 7, 
1865, with Miss Maggie J. McKnight, a native of 
Ireland, where she was born Oct. 15, 1846. When 
six years of age her father emigrated to Canada. 
Mrs. Dingman, though young when she crossed the 
waters, remembers well the seven-weeks voyage. A 
terrible storm arose and daylight was almost dark- 
ened by the overhanging clouds, when the vessel 
became disabled by losing her main-mast, bulwarks 
and cook's cabin. The storm came on with all its 
fury, and the Captain said "One more wave and we 
shall all be lost!" The passengers fell on their knees, 
and then, in the center of the mighty ocean and in 
the midst of the raging elements, oflfered their united 
prayers to the Ruler of the Universe for deliverance. 
Their prayers were heard, and the disabled vessel, 
with its thankful passengers, landed safely at its 
destination. 

Mrs. Dingman remained with her father in Canada 




until 17 years of age, when she went to Niagara Falls. 
On arrival at that place she engaged to learn the 
profession of dress-maker. She acquired the knowl- 
edge of that art and followed the same for 16 years. 
In 1868 they returned to Canada, but did not remain 
long, believing they could do better in the " States;" 
and the following year, 1869, they moved to this 
State and settled at Ovid, Clinton County. 

The husband and wife are the parents of three 
children, born and named as follows: Ida K., April 
13, 1867; Lorena E. M., April 23, 1869; Harry J., 
Aug. 12, 1875. The father and mother are both 
connected with the Presbyterian Church, and are s)^ 
respected and esteemed citizens of their township. 

Mr. Dingman, politically, is a Democrat. He has 
been honored with the district offices of his township, 
and is prominent for the stand he lakes in the advo- 
cacy of temperance. He is a member of the I. O. 
O. F. Lodge, No. 97, Ovid, Mich. 



i 



(f i! IJji illiarn H. Whitaker, Justice of the Peace Aji? 
_!^J^Sg in Broomfield Township, and farmer on 



?jp section 23, is a son of William and Lepha 
^ (Morrison) Whilaker, natives of New York. 



O; 



\ 



s^^^^^^l- 



'%^^. 



> 



The father was born in Hamilton County, 
April 26, 1804, came to Michigan in 1854, and 
is now living in the State of Indiana. His wife was 
born in 1802, and died in Branch County, this 
State, in 1866. 

Their son William was born June 24, 1833, in 
Hamilton Co., N. Y., and attended school until 16 
years old. He then came at that age to Branch 
Co., Mich., and worked by the month one year. He 
then shipped on board the barque Samuel Thomas, on 
which he sailed six years. During this time he visit- 
ed Africa, the Western Islands, West Indies, and Cape 
Verde Islands, and landed at New Mattipoisett, 
Mass., in Sept., 1851, after a three years' trip. Re- 
shipping on the same vessel, they visited nearly the 
same places, and went on a whaling expedition, cap- '^ 
luring a great number of those animals. After a trip i 
of three years and four days, he landed once more at ^'i' 
the same place. He then shipi)ed at New Bedford ^ 
as second mate of the "Oliver Crocker," also a whaler. ^ 
This voyage lasted four years and nine days, and (y) 
took them through the Indian Ocean, China Sea, to ^ 



Sfe^^®^^^^ 




I 

T 






>J 



V 



A 



^ 






New Zealand and Australia. He came to this county 
in 1879. 

He was married in the State of New York, Feb. 14, 
1859, to Miss Mary Steele, who was born April i, 
1843, in Fulton Co., N. Y., the daughter of Simon 
and Amy (Van Wart) Steele, natives of New York. 
Mr. S. was born in 1805, and died in 1877. Mrs. S. 
was born in 1806 and died in 1865. Mr. and Mrs. 
Whitaker have three daughters, — Mary B., born June 
26, 1861 ; Lydia M., Nov. 18, 1862 ; andHattie, born 
March 15, 1876. 

Mr. Whitaker has held the office of Justice of the 
Peace, and is now Drain Commissioner, to which 
office he was elected in the year 1882. He is a Re- 
publican, and a member of the I. O. O. F. In 1864 
he enlisted in the Union Army, and was assigned to 
the navy, on board the monitor Mahopac. This 
vessel was engaged at the battle of Fort Fisher, N. C. 
He was discharged at City Point, Va., Nov. 26, 
1864, for disability caused in the line of duty. 

We take pleasure in adding Mr. Whitaker's por- 
trait to the " art gallery" of this Album, as that of an 
exemplary citizen of Isabella County. 



ohn A. Wolfe, farmer on section 2, Broom- 
afield, is a son of Eli and Nancy (.*\llen) 
Wolfe, natives of New Jersey and Pennsyl- 
vania. The parents were born respectively in 
^L 1806 and 1 8 14, and mad their home in New 
Jersey, where the father died in 1S76, and 
where the mother yet lives. 

Mr. Wolfe was born May 10, 1834, in Warren Co., 
N. J., and lived at home until 23 years old. He was 
at that age, Aug. 30, 1856, married to Miss Harriet 
Garrison, who was born July 11, 1839, in Sussex Co., 
N. J., the daughter of Henry and Mary A. (Brush) 
Garrison, natives of New Jersey, .\fter marriage, 
Mr. W. lived in his native slate until 1867, then was 
seven years in Ionia County, this State, and then 
moved on his present 80 acres, of which 40 are im- 
proved. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe have two children, — Matilda 
A., born May 17, 1858, and Eli E.,born Oct. 29, 1863. 
Mr. W. is politically a Republican. He has been 
Highway Commissioner, Superintendent of Schools 
and Justice of the Peace. His wife is a member 
of the United Brethren Church. 





ames Ostrander, Postmaster and general 
^ merchant at Loomis, Wise Township, was 
born May 13, 1821, in Elgin Co., Ont., and 
is the son of William and Sarah (Ryckman) 
Ostrander, both of whom are natives of Can- 
ada. The father died July 24, 1875; the 
mother is still a resident of the Dominion. 

Mr. Ostrander passed the period of his minority in 
the fulfillment of his filial duties, aiding his parents 
in the support of their family and working on his 
father's farm. On reaching the age of 21 years he 
undertook the management of his grandfather's farm, 
which he continued two years. His next enterprise 
was as a peddler of tinware and agricultural imple- 
ments, in which he was engaged five years. Mean- 
while, he bought 100 acres of land in Howard Town- 
ship, Canada, on which he commenced operations as 
a pioneer, building a log house and entering vigor- 
ously into the work of clearing and improving his 
land. He remained on the place about eight years 
and had placed about 30 acres under improvements 
when he sold his farm, for $1,400, wliich he invested 
in 200 acres in the same town. He occupied this 
place until 1862. 

In i860 he opened a daily stage route from 
Thamesville to Ridgetownand Morpeth. He opened 
business as a general merchant at Ostrander ]X)st- 
office, where he was appointed Postmaster. He con- 
tinued his operations three years, but, meeting with 
adverse fortune, he found himself under the neces- 
sity of arranging for a different line of business, and 
he sold his stock. In 1864, he came to the city of 
Detroit, where he remained through the winter. 
During tliat time he encountered further disaster in 
the form of severe illness, which dissipated his entire 
means. In the spring of 1865 he came to Saginaw 
City and kept a boarding house one year. The en- 
terprise did not prove an encouraging success, and 
he rented a small tract of land near Saginaw and 
commenced gardening. The season was unfavorable 
and he gave up that business. He was again afflict- 
ed with illness during the winter of 1873, and in the 
spring following he employed himself a short time in 
the sale of fish at Saginaw, by which means he ob- 
tained something of a start ; and soon afterward se- 






A 



\i/ 



-.ff^ 



-^"^^ — '^T^<^D!lsna^t>A^ 






(";■'■ 



m 



®>)^#«-- 






^ 



r4^llll^:llllv> 



^v 



^ 



1=1 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






309 



cured a situation as a peddler of tinware, in which 
he was engaged three years. In 1876 the Saginaw 
capitahst and lumberman, Amrai W. Wright, engaged 
him to take charge of the business owned by him at 
Loomis and managed under the firm style of Wells, 
Stone & Co. He operated in that capacity two win- 
ters. In 1878 he rented a small building at Loomis 
and began business for himself. He gradually ex- 
tended his field as his relations multiplied and wid- 
ened, and he is now doing a good business. In 1881 
he received his appointment as Postmaster from 
President Arthur. In political affiliation Mr. Os- 
trander is a Republican. He belongs to the Order 
of Good Templars, and is a member of the Masonic 
Order, Farweil Lodge, No. 335. 

He was married Dec. 10, 1859, at Orford, Canada, 
to Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Webb) Gos- 
nell, both of whom were natives of Ireland, where 
Mrs. Ostrander was born, May 20, 1830. Ten chil- 
dren, born to Mr. and Mrs. Ostrander, were named 
as follows: Rachel, Mary, William L., George H., 
Sarah E., Eliza A., James H., Frances C, Ellen J. 
and Ida A. George and Ida are deceased. All are 
married except Ellen J., and all are sober, industri- 
ous and happily surrounded. 




— 5- 



#-# 



^— 



I 






tenry E. Ward, farmer, section 5, Deerfield 
Township, is a son of Charles L. and Emily 
(Parmelee) Ward, natives of Genesee Co., 
N. Y.; she died in September, 1S54, and he af- 
terward moved to Hillsdale Co., Mich., where 
he still resides. They have two daughters and 
two sons. 

The eldest son, the subject of this biographical 
notice, was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Oct. 22, 185 1; 
when about six years of age his father came to Mich- 
igan, where he remained at home with him until about 
30 years old, the last nine years of which time he 
worked his father's farm on shares. In the spring of 
1 88 1, he came to this county and bought 80 acres of 
partly improved land in Deerfield Township, where 
he now resides and has about 33 acres under culti- 
vation. He is an exemplary farmer and citizen, a 
man of sterling principle, and in politics is inde- 
pendent. 

He was first married in Hillsdale Co., Mich., Nov. 



26, 1876, to Miss Susie L.; daughter of Edwin and 
Elizabeth Dunn, who died the 7lh of the following 
September; and Sept. 27, 1880, in the same county, 
Mr. Ward married Miss Clara R., daughter of Lewis 
and Rosanna (Brower) Hagcr, the former a native of 
Germany and the latter of Switzerland. Mrs. W. 
was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov. 26, 1859. By 
this marriage there are two children, — Lewis M. and 
Ethel M. 






K^ 



-^ 






-T^ 



€S- 




oderick Campbell, farmer, section 2, Gil- 
more Township, was born March i, 1828, 
on Tiree Island, on the west coast of Scot- 
land. His parents, Daniel and Njincy (Mc- 
Donald) Campbell, were born, reared and 
lived nearly their entire lives in the Scottish 
Highlands. 

Mr. Campbell left Scotland in July, 1845, and land- 
ed at Halifax, N. S. He went to Sidney, Cape Bre- 
ton Island, where he remained three years, working 
one year as a farm laborer, and the two years fol- 
lowing, in ferrying by the month. He came thence 
to Boston, Mass., and went to Springfield in that 
State, where he stayed less than a year. He then 
moved to Wayne Co., N. Y., and engaged in farming 
at %\ I per month. Two years after, he emigrated to 
Washtenaw Co., Mich., and worked on a farm three 
years, at $144 a year. At the expiration of that time 
he commenced to work land on shares, and he spent 
about eight years as a farm assistant and renter. In 
1867 he purchased 40 acres in the town of Augusta, 
Washtenaw County, for which he paid $600. On his 
arrival in Washtenaw County he had but 50 cents in 
money and a few household articles, which collec- 
tion did not include a stove. In the upper part of the 
first house they lived in, Mrs. Campbell found an old 
baker which she scoured bright and made serviceable 
for six months. The farm purchased by Mr. Camp- 
bell was in an unbroken state of wildness, and he 
sold it 14 years later for $1,700. In February, 1882, 
he purchased a farm of 160 acres of partly improved 
land in Isabella County, for which he paid $1,000 
cash. On this he is expending his strength and ener- 
gy with all the effectiveness of good judgment and 
laudable purpose. 

Mr. Campbell was married June 4, 1846, to Mary 









r 



f^^f^ 



u^uil. 



mmM<>^ 



a. 



.^^s^^^ 



-^^JflXM 




^ Jane, daughter of Herman and Mary (Thompson) 

•0 Calhoun. She was born June 25, 1824, in Nassau, 

^v5» Rensselaer Co., N. Y. The following is the record 

y of the six children born of this marriage : Josephine, 

(Suborn Aug. 6, 184-; John C, April 24, 1852; Mary 

Ann, Aug. 19, 1855 (died July 10, 1861); Eliza Jane, 

July 26, 1858 (died July 16, i86i);Mar)^ E., Oct. 11, 

1861 ; Benj. H., June 18, 1864. 



■'enry Adams, farmer and shoemaker, re- 
wi siding on section 35, Isabella Township, 
was born in Hesse, Germany, Sept. 29, 1840. 
When six years of age he was brought to the 
New World by his brothers and sisters, the 
parents having both deceased. They first located in 
Erie, Pa., and three years later moved to Ashtabula 
■ ) Co., Ohio. When 15 years of age, our subject ap- 
^ prenticed himself to a Mr. Nehemiah Phillips, for 
^ four years, to learn the shoemaker's trade, and con- 
° tinued in that vocation until the expiration of his ap- 
J^; prenticeship, working the last year as a "jour." He 
° then came to Alma, Gratiot County, this State, and 
^ engaged with Mr. James Gargett. 

S During the civil war, Mr. Adams enlisted in Co. 
I( -s A, Eighth Mich. Vol. Inf., Feb. 25, 1864, commanded 
by Col. Ely, of Gratiot County. The company was 
assigned to the Army of the Potomac. He partici- 
pated in the battle of the Wilderness (six days) and 
all the battles in which his company was engaged up 
to the time of the battle of Petersburg. During the 
latter named action he was taken sick and sent to the 
hospital at Philadelphia, where he remained until 
the close of the war; and he was honorably dis- 
charged May 5, 1 865 . He was several times wounded 
but received no injury of a serious nature. At the 
time the war opened, Mr. Adams was not a citizen 
of the United Stales, never having taken out his pa- 
pers, and he took tliem out mainly for the purpose of 
joining the army. 

I After his discharge, in 1865, he came to Alma, this 
State, and in the fall of that year went to Mt. Pleas- 
't^ ant and worked at his trade for Mr. L. Bently for one 
fgjr year. He then worked for himself, at Alma, and 
irS continued to carry on his trade at that place until 
, ^ the summer of 1874, when he dis|)osed of his village 
7" property by trading the same for 70 acres of wild 



land on section 35, Isabella Township, this county. 
He immediately n.oved on his newly acquired land 
and entered on the task of improving it, and now has 
55 acres under a good state of cultivation. 

Mr. Adams was first married in Alma, Sept. 17, 
1863, to Miss Hannah S. Rogers, a native of Ohio, 
where she was born June 22, 1844. She bore to Mr. 
Adams three children: George, born Feb. 27, 1866; 
Frank W., born Aug. 14, 1868; and William H., 
born April 12, 1873. Mrs. Adams died at her home 
in Isabella Township, of a congestive chill lasting one 
hour, April 27, 1876, mourned as a loving wife, kind 
mother and generous friend. 

The second marriage of Mr. Adams occurred Sept. 
II, 1876, at St. Louis, and the lady of his choice was 
Miss Augusta Buchholz. She is a native of no 
country, being born on the "bosom of the waves" 
while her parents were en route from Germany to 
this country, Aug. 21, 1855. She has borne her hus- 
band two children: Minnie, Oct. 23, 1S77; and 
Charles, Oct. 27, 1883. 

Polirically, Mr. Adams is a believer in and sup- 
porter of the principles of the Republican party. He 
has held the position of Director of his school dis- 
trict, and is a progressive citizen of his township. 



-— ^' 



rrin Moody, farmer on section 24 RoUand 
|ft is a son of Israel and Abigail (Tubbs) 







V^ 



A 



c-<^; 



V 



Moody, natives of New Hampshire and 
South Carolina. The father was first a resi- 
dent of New Hampshire, but moved to Cayuga 
Co., N. Y., where he died in 181 9. His wife 
died in the same county. 

The subject of this biography was born July 22, 
1814, in the State of New Hampshire, and lived at 
home until 18 years old. Coming to Michigan, he 
lived in Washtenaw County three years, then in 
Livingston County three years, and then settled in 
Eaton County, where he resided 40 years. He came 
to this county in 1880, locating on 80 acres on sec- 
tion 24, RoUand, where he has now 24 acres in a 
good state of cultivation. 

He was married in 1835, to Desire Carr, who was 
born June 25, 1816, the daughter of Nathaniel and 
Esther (Conger) Carr, natives of New York, where 
the father died Nov. 21, 1865, and the mother in 



1^ 



r 



I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^^^\l^ 



3" 



1 

^ 



^ 
/N 



>r 



V 



^ 






I846. Mr. and Mrs. Moody have had nine children, 
whose record is as follows : William H., born May 
13, 1838; Sylvester, born \iig. 7, 1840; Edward 
W., born July 14, 1842, and died Dec. 2, 1883; 
Esther A., born Jan. 27, 1845 ; Israel VV., born March 
14,1848; Augustus E. and Augusta, born Nov. 21, 
1850; George L., born Jan. 30, 1856; Ellen J., born 
May 27, 1858, and died Nov. 21, 1858. 

Mr. Moody is politically a life-long Democrat. 



fjlK}|; eter J. Marthey, merchant at Leaton, Den- 
l E^ IJ; ver Township, is a son of Peter E. and 
JliU^ Margaret (Jennelte) Marthey, natives of 
Jipj^ France. The parents emigrated to America 
7,J\ in an early day, married and settled in Holmes 
Co., Ohio, where she died, July 3, 1872. He sur- 
vives. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Holmes 
Co., Ohio, Sept. 30, 1851, and lived in his native 
county until the spring of 1882, engaged in farming. 
He then came to Isabella County and bought 77 
acres of wild land in Denver Township, where he 
now resides. He has 48 acres improved. In June, 
1883, he bought out the stock of goods at Leaton, 
then owned by W. A. Chatterton ; and he now car- 
ries on that business. 

He was married in Holmes Co., Ohio, Nov. 22, 
1877, to Josephine C, daughter of Joseph and Mary 
Trahan, natives of France. She was born in St. 
Louis, Mo., Oct. 6, 1854, and is the mother of three 
children — Edward E., Angela M. and Francis C. 

Mr. Marthey is politically a Democrat. He and 
wife are members of the Roman Catholic Church. 

■^^^■\/y^ J- , 



f'-^avid W. Brooks, farmer, section 34, Cold- 

^^^> water Township, was born Aug. 20, 1834, 

'^-^ in Sumpter Township, Wayne Co., Mich. 

'f^ His parents, David and Susannah W. (Allen) 

j^ Brooks, were nativesrespectively of Vermont and 

New Jersey, and died in Wayne Co., Mich. 

Their family comprised nine children. 

Mr. Brooks is the youngest child of his parents and 
remained with them until their deaths, caring for 
them in every filial manner and securing to them the 




ease and freedom from responsibility which was the 
just reward of their laborious and well-directed lives. 
In return for this devotion Mr. Brooks received from 
his parents the deed of the home farm. In 1865, soon 
after the decease of his father, Mr. Brooks sold the 
homestead and bought a farm in Van Buren Town- 
ship, Wayne County, where he resided until 1873, 
when he bought the place which is at present his 
homestead, consisting then of 80 acres of land in a 
wholly unimproved state. The place now includes 
45 acres of improved and cultivated land. Mr. Brooks 
is a Republican in political sentiment, and has held 
the office of Justice of the Peace one term and has 
acted one year as Supervisor. 

He was married May 4, 1856, in Van Buren Town- 
ship, Wayne County, to Miss Elsie M. Carpenter. 
She was born May 4, 1837, and is the daughter of 
John and Lucy (Bennett) Carpenter. Her father 
died in November, 1874, and her mother is still liv- 
ing, in Belleville, Wayne Co., Mich. The record of 
the children of Mr. and Mrs. Brooks is as follows : 
J. Elmer, born Dec. 7, 1858; Leone W., Feb. i, 1862 ; 
Florence, Oct. 8, 1863 (died Oct. 27, 1867); Freder- 
ick C, April 6, 1869; Eva, March 2, 1874. 



~»*'i£fi'®^-^— ^<Mi 



-^.SWTZrTilv 




eorge W. Stine, farmer on section 26, Ver- 
.____„ non Township, is a son of David and Di- 
Mj^-XR ^^^ (Cordrey) Stine, of German descent, 
' v^ » and natives of Pennsylvania. The father was 
;; in early life a weaver, and then a farmer, and 
died in 1842, in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio. The 
mother lives in the same county, at the extreme age 
of 96. 

Their son George was the third child and first 
son in a family of eight, — four sons and four daugh- 
ters. He was born in Harrison Co., Ohio, May 30, 
1830, and was taken to Tuscarawas County, same 
State, by his parents when two years old. At the 
age of 16 he commenced work as a common laborer, 
letting his pay go toward the support of his widowed 
mother and her dependent family. Being given his 
liberty at the age of 21, he worked on the Ohio River, 
and in the mines until the call for volunteer soldiers 
made by President Lincoln flashed over the wires 
and quickened the ardor of all patriots. 






9 



^: 






rk) 



-f^^f®>^ 



m 



* 



'^^ 



z^^ ^'V<^WSU^^>¥^ :^^^ 



^^^fsVM 



312 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



> 
^ 



i 
6 



He enlisted Aug 17, 1861, in Co. I, 20th Ohio Vol. 
Inf., and was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. 
He fought at the second Bull Run, Fredericksburg, 
South Mountain, Antietam, Vicksburg, Mission Ridge 
and all the battles involving the 15th Corps, and also 
in numerous skirmishes. He escaped unhurt except 
by a bruise from a piece of bursted shell, which dis- 
abled him for a few days, and he was honorably dis- 
charged June 5, 1S65, being in the service nearly 
four years. 

He came direct from the army to this county, and 
secured 80 acres of land, of which 55 are now improv- 
ed. He was married March 1 1, 1850, in Tuscarawas 
Co., Ohio, to Miss Mary Render, who was born in 
England, July 15, 1825. Her father, Francis Render, 
died in Ohio in 1875. Her mother, Elizabeth (Sut- 
tle) Render, died in the same State, in 1854. Mr. 
and Mrs. Stine have six children, — Ann, Francis, 
Diana, Thomas, Rose and George. One, William, 
is deceased. The parents are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. Mr. S. is a member of 
Clare Lodge, No. 333, I.O. O. F. He is politically a 
supporter of the Republican party ; has been High- 
way Commissioner three years and is now School 
Assessor. 



!^rank D. Pierce, farmer on section 6, Rol- 
j land Township, is a son of Leroy and 
iv' Cynthia (Husted) Pierce. The father was 
iffe born in Brookfield, Madison Co., N. Y., in 
3^ 1827, and has been a carpenter and farmer. 
4 The mother was born in Oxford, N. Y., in 
1828. They moved to Pennsylvania, then to Illinois, 
wheie they lived two and a half years ; then to New 
York State ; and finally seven years later to Tioga 
Co., Pa., where they now live. 

Their son Frank was born Dec. 9, 1856, in Tioga 
Co., Pa., and lived with his parents until 19 years 
old, when he came to this State and county and lo- 
cated on 220 acres on section 6, Rolland Township. 
He has now 170 acres well improved and good farm 
buildings. 

He was married Dec. 26, 1880, to Miss Jennie 
Seely, who was born in 1855, in Tioga Co., Pa., the 
daughter of Lewis and Mary (Burr) Seely. Mr. 
Seely was born in New York in 1829, and has fol- 






lowed farming in Tioga Co., Pa., up to the present '^ 
time. Mrs. Seely was born in Penny slvania in 1843. '^] 
They had eight children, six of whom are now liv- Z^;. 



In political sentiment, Mr. P. is a Rep\iblican. 



^ 




ared H. Doughty, of the firm of Doughty 
^^ Bros., hardware merchants atMt. Pleasant, 
was born in Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov. 25, 
1839. His parents, George W. and Emeline 
(Storm) Doughty, removed to Van Buren Co., 
Mich., in 1842, where his father bought a farm, 
including 200 acres of land. 

Mr. Doughty passed the years of his minority at 
home, working as his father's assistant on the farm 
during the warmer portion of the year, and attending 
school winters. On attaining the period of his legal 
freedom, he went to Lane, Ogle Co., 111., and there 
engaged in acipiiring a preliminary knowledge of the 
tinner's trade. He remained thus occupied one 
year, when he returned to Michigan and finished the 
acquisition of his trade with Parsons & Wood, of 
Kalamazoo. He remained with them over three 
years and then, associated with his brother George, 
opened a hardware establishment at Paw Paw. The 
relation was brought to a close by his brother's being 
drafted in 1865, when Mr. Doughty sold out. He 
remained in Paw Paw two years longer, and went 
thence to South Haven. 

His stay at that place was brief, and in the fall 
of 1869 he came to Mt. Pleasant with his brother, 
Wilkinson Doughty, driving to this place from Big 
Rapids with a horse and carriage. The trip oc- 
cupied two days. They found a small village with 
no tin shop or hardware establishment of any kind. 
They at once founded a general hardware business, 
and continued its management until Sept. i, 1877. 
In 1876 they erected a brick block on the corner of 
Main Street and Broadway, two stories in height and 
48 X 77 feet in dimensions. At the date named, the 
brothers dissolved partnership, each establishing him- 
self in business in one-half of the new building. Mr. 
Doughty, subject of this sketch, associated his brother 
Frank with him in a general hardware business, in 
the corner store, where they operated until January, 
1884. In the summer of 1883 they erected a fine 



ft 



A 



C< 






1^ 



r 



>i 



<mm\iit> 



A^a. 






I— 
I 

I 



■23''4e)^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^>r^ :^ftP^ 4^^5(^x|i 



3»3 






I 



brick block 32 X 77 feet and three stories in height 
above the basement ; of which they took possession 
at the date mentioned They rent iheir former quar- 
ters. Their stock is estimated at a value of $S,ouo, 
and includes stoves, agricultural implements, sash, 
doors, etc., and they manufacture tin and sheet iron. 
Their business is thriving and requires the aid of 
four assistants. Their rooms for the manufacture of 
all kinds of tinware are above their general sales- 
room, and a shop for reparing^ is connected there- 
with. Mr. Doughty is the owner of his residence 
and grounds. He has been a member of the Town 
Council one year. 

He was married Sept. 29, i86g, in Mattawan, Van 
Buren Co., Mich., to Julia Sutton, daughter of Alden 
and Isabel Sutton. Nettie B. and Glenn H. are the 
names of the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Doughty. 
They were born June 5, 1874, and Oct. 21, 1883, re- 
spectively. The parents are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. 



S>*H^S<: 



"Slsfe^ 




14 



■I 






|i ylvester C. Hammond, farmer, section 26, 
Coldwater Township, was born in Essex, 

f^^ Clinton Co., Mich., Dec. 7, 1854. He is a 
son of Carmi and Mary A. (Willett) Ham- 
mond, both of whom are deceased. His father 
was born May 3, 1807, in Vermont, and died 
July 9, 1883, at the residence of his son in Coldwater. 
His mother died Feb. 20, 1876. 

Mr. Hammond grew up under the care and guid- 
ance of his father until he was of age. A short time 
previous to obtaining his majority he began to learn 
the carpenter's trade in Clinton County, which he 
completed after he was 21 years old. He is a natural 
mechanic, with an aptitude for tools and little taste 
for farm labor. He owns 80 acres of land and has 
25 acres cleared and improved. He first came to 
Isabella County in the fall of 1866, returning in a few 
weeks to his home. He decided on establishing a 
permanent residence in the county, and in the fall of 
1875 he bought his farm in the township of t'old- 
water. 

He was married March 5, 1876, to Jennie F. 
daughter of Martin M. and Harriet Isabella (Van- 
tine) Ryerson. (See sketch of M. M. Ryerson.) 
She was born Oct. 11, 1859, in Huron Co., Ohio. 



Following is the record of the five children born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Hammond: Orton Claud, born Jan. 
II, 1877; Orville .Sylvester, Aug. 4, 1878; Mary 
Belle, March 19, 1880; Evalena, May 5, 1881. A 
child, yet unnamed, was born Sept. 8, 1883. 



-i ^^Sp-i^S'vv — 



*■ i^C'M/'.aniel Wallace, farmer, section 74, Isabella 
HiaMaliL Township, was born in Perth Co., Ont., 
'^ May 1, 1837. The parents of Daniel were 
^Jiy" Timothy and Maria (Parker) Wallace. His 
father was a native of Malone, N. Y., of 
Scotch extraction, and by occupation a fanner. 
He died in Washtenaw County, this State, June 9, 
1877, aged 71 years. His mother was a native of 
Genesee Co., N. Y., and of Pennsylvania-Dutch ex- 
traction. She is the mother of 11 children, five sons 
and four daughters living, and one son and one 
daughter deceased, and is still living, in the vicinity 
of Ann Arbor, this State. 

Daniel is the oldest of the 1 1 children, and re- 
mained under the parental roof-tree until he attained 
the age of 23 years. He assisted on the farm and in 
the maintenance of the family, receiving the advan- 
tages afforded by the common schools of the county, 
and developed into manhood. 

July 5, 1857, Mr. Wallace was united in marriage 
with Miss Amy J. Brundage, daughter of Stephen 
and Sarah Ann (Arnold) Brundage. They were na- 
tives of Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, of New 
England parentage, and the father was a f;irnier by 
occupation. He died in Ontario, April 25, 1846, and 
the mother died in tiie same place. Amy J. was 
born in Ontario, Sept. 26, 1837. Her father died 
when she was nine years old, and she lived with her 
mother, assisting in the household duties and the 
maintenance of the family, and attending the com- 
mon schools, until her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Wallace are the parents of nine chil- 
dren, all living and born and named as follows: 
William M., Sept. 15, 1858; Daniel E., Nov. 28^ 
i860; Ann J., Oct. 3, 1862; Edward, Jan. 9, 1865; 
Charles T., Feb. 4, 1867 ; Nellie M., Sept. 2, 1869; 
Amy A., Feb. 14, 1872; Alice M., Jan. 17, 1875; 
Frank A., Dec. 15, 1877. 

Three years after his marriage, Mr. Wallace moved 
to Iowa and there followed the occupation of farm- 



s 

% 






:^tltlv>^-^ ^i^^^¥^ 



■-4?^((®A^ 



sii/\s<B<sr 



'4^DD^IiD^>^ 



^^(<®vii 



I 



fO 



5$ 






314 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



ing until 1861, when he came to Washtenaw County, 
this State, where he followed the same vocation, en- 
gaged a portion of the time in running a threshing- 
machine, for 1 8 years. He has threshed 67,000 
bushels of wheat, besides oats and barley, in one 
season. His next move was to Livingston County, 
this State, where he remained, engaged in farming, 
for three years. 

In March, 1876, he came to this county and 
bought 80 acres of land in Isabella Township. The 
township was at this time an " Indian reserve," and 
the Indians proved to be very friendly to the settlers. 
Mr. W., from the first, gained their confidence, and 
by fair and honest treatment always retained it. 

To his original purchase Mr. W. has added 80 
acres, and of his entire area of land he has 1 10 acres 
in a good state of cultivation. The improvement 
was mostly accomplished through his own energetic 
labors. He has erected a fine barn on his farm, the 
material costing him $600, the labor being performed 
exclusively by himself. 

Religiously, the father and mother are strict moral- 
ists, and take considerable care in the cultivation of 
the minds of their children in that direction. 

Politically, Mr. W. is a believer in and supporter 
of the principles and doctrines of the Repubhcan 
party. He has held the minor offices of the town- 
ship, and has often been solicited to accept the high- 
est office in the gift of his townsmen. He is also a 
strong temperance man, and holds a [xisition in the 
esteem and respect of the citizens of his township not 
undeserved, but as a reward of past acts of integrity 
and honest and fair dealing. 

dward Dubois, general farmer and stock- 
raiser, section 12, Lincoln Townsliip, was 
born in the ('anton of Berne, Switzerland; 
^^ was only one year old when his mother died 
and three years old when his father died, and 
thereafter until he was six he lived with his 
grandparents, and then until 16 with an unci;. 

He then worked at the butcher's trade four years, 

two years for his grand uncle, and then came to 

America, alone, locating as a farm laborer in Wayne 

Co., Ohio. 

At Mt. Eaton, that county, March 22, 1855, he 




married Miss Mary Burkhardt, who also was born in ^ 
Berne, Switzerland, Nov. 2, 1832, educated there and P-. 
emigrated to .\merica in her 22d year, leaving par- ••, 
ents and friends. The children of Mr. and Mrs. D. 
have been 12 in number, three of whom are deceased, v^ 
namely : Edward, born Jan. 6, 1856 ; Fred, May 1 1, 
1862 ; Emma, Feb. 29, 1864 ; Albert and Alice (twins), 
April 20, 1866; Celia, June 8, 1868; Mary, March 
29, 1870; Ellen E., June 10, 1873; Carrie, June 8, 
1875 ; tlie deceased are, Mary, born Aug. 6, 1857, 
died Sept. 7, 1861 ; Anna E., born Jan. 13, 1859, 
died Sept. 7, 1861 ; Lena, born Aug. 21, i860, died 
Nov. 29, 1 861. 

After they were married, Mr. and Mrs. D. "worked 
out " until the next fall. In the spring of 1856, they 
bought 40 acres in Wayne Co., Ohio, resided upon it 
until 1864, and then came to this State and purchased 
a quarter of section 12, Lincoln Township, where he 
now resides. Only a small portion was then im- 
proved. Mr. Dubois has now no acres in a state of 
good cultivation, a good stock and grain barn, and a X 
residence lately erected, at a cost of nearly $2,000. ^ 
He has proven himself an industrious and judicious ^ 
farmer and a worthy citizen. Is a member of the ^ 
Farmers' Club of Coe Township, is a Democrat, and ?=? 
he and wife are both connected with the Dutch Re- v^ 
formed Church. 



^' 



Ij?^ tephen Hart, farmer on section 18, Denver 
1^ Township, is a son of Stephen and Ann 
^^ (Stephens) Hart, natives of England. The 
\\^ father died in that country about 1843, and i 
the mother, emigrating to Canada, survived till 
about 1870. 
The subject of this record was born in England, 
in December, 1837, and was five years and a half old 
when he crossed the waters with his mother to Can- 
ada. He lived with her until 1872, then came to 
Clare County, this State, where lie was employed at ^ 
teaming and in the woods until the spring of 1880. '^ 
He then came to Isabella County and bought 40 }. 
acres of wild land on section 18, Denver Township. ^^ 
This has since been his home, and he has now about ^^f 
30 acres in cultivation. 5*^ 

He was married in Canada, Oct. 30, 1859,10 Mar- \J 
garet, daughter of Duncan and Mary (McKinnon) > 



!f^ 



-VC^ 




^^, ^. ^/3z^Z^t^a>^^^^ 




(P ^ (ycJyt-Z^l^iy^^^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'V 



-^t-?*!^^ 



t 



-J 



1 




McMullen, natives of Scotland. She was born in 
Canada in July, 1S37. Often children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Hart, the following seven survive: Stephen, 
Hugh, John, Allen, Annie, Samuel and Thomas. 
The three deceased were named Margaret, Mary and 
Maria. 

Politically, Mr. Hart is a Republican. 



eorge A. Ferris, farmer, section 36, Union 
Township, was born Nov. 18, 1835, in 
Broome Co., N. Y., and is a son of Albert 
G. and Betsey (Conkling) Ferris. He was 
reared on a farm, and in 1855 his family came 
to Saginaw. Not long after their arrival Mr. 
Ferris set out with A. M. Merrill, Jolin M. Hursh 
and five Indians for a tract of land in Union Town- 
ship, including the whole of section 32, and owned 
by Mr. Merrill. The Indians were employed to carry 
provisions and every man in the procession had a 
load. The red men carried 125 pounds each, Mr. 
Hursh had a load of 120 pounds of pork and Mr. 
Ferris, then about 20 years old, had a burden of 75 
pounds weight. Mr. Merrill carried a iX)nderous 
bundle of leather done up in a woolen blanket, un- 
der which he staggered and groaned to such an e.xtent 
that his companions forgot their own burdens in sym- 
pathy for his sufferings. At their journey's end the 
bundle was investigated and weighed, and exhibited 
only 15 pounds avoirdupois! The party carried their 
loads from Midland, 25 miles through the woods, 
consuming two days in the trip, traversing a trackless 
route to Chippewa Township, and cutting their way. 
They camped there five weeks and then cut a road 
through to the claim of Mr. Merrill in Union Town- 
ship, driving an ox team. Mr. Ferris returned sev- 
eral times to his father's home in Saginaw ('ounty, 
two miles northwest of the city of Saginaw. He 
was employed by I. E. Arnold, of Isabella C'ounty, 
in the building of four Indian shed-houses. His 
father superintended their construction. 

In October, 1862, Mr. Ferris "squatted " on 160 
acres of land, where he has since resided ; and when 
the property came into market he entered his claim 
according to the regulations of the Homestead Act. 
On taking possession, he cleared a small patch and 
erected a log house, which is now a part of his dwell - 




s®))«^t|'5» 



■^^^€ ^ Qj^ mm 



ing. He was engaged in the labor of a carpenter 
during the first five years of his residence and spent 
several winters in lumbering, meanwhile improving 
his farm. He has 95 acres cleared and cultivated 
land, well supplied with orchards, etc. He is a Re- 
publican in political sentiment ; has been Drain Com- 
missioner four years and Road Commissioner 12 
years. 

Mr. Ferris was married March 8, 1862, in Union 
Township, to Susan, daughter of George and Sophia 
(Bidler) Miser. She was born March 4, 1835, in 
Wayne Co., Ohio. The four children of Mr. and 
Mrs. Ferris were born on the homestead as follows : 
Laura A., Feb. 13, 1863; Eli L., Aug. 29, 1864; 
George I., Oct. 15, 1865 ; Nettie, April 22, 1870. 
The parents of Mrs. Ferris came to Michigan from 
Ohio about 1858 and settled two miles northwest of 
the village of Salt River in Coe Township, where her 
father had previously purchased 160 acres of land. 
He lived on the homestead during the remainder of 
his life. 

A. Brubaker, farmer, section 30, Gilmore 
Township, was born July 8, 1834, in Wayne 
Co., Ohio, and is the son of George and 
Elizabeth (Buikett) Brubaker. The parents were 
both natives of Pennsylvania, and the father is 
deceased. The mother is living in Ohio. The 
year after he attained his majority, Mr. Brubaker 
went to California and remained there between three 
and four years employed as a miner. 

He returned to Ohio, and from 1859 to 1866 was 
engaged in farming and operating a thrashing-ma- 
chine. In the year last named he came to Coldwater 
Township, Isabella County, when that section of 
Michigan contained within its limits not a vestige of 
cultivation nearer than Millbrook. Mr. Brubaker en- 
tered a homestead claim of 80 acres in the township 
of Coldwater, where he was the first white resident. 
He built a board shanty ; and the condition of the 
country may be estimated from the fact that one night, 
as he lay asleep on the floor of his abode, his dog 
sprung across his face, having been driven in by a 
wolf! When he raised his log house, he went 13 
miles and hired 13 men to aid him, to whom he paid 
$1.50 per day for three days' work. His house was 
the shelter and home of many of the first settlers as 



^ 







c>: 



(I 



f^ 



I^S/^^))^^' 



-:2i%;^ K o V 



<>DO>:ilIl>> 



■>ij'Nis,^^^>sr 



320 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






-^ 






>^ 



V 



^ 



1^ 



they came into the township, and he extended all the 
aid, sympathy and encouragement in his power to 
them, while they were preparing shelter and making 
ready for citizenship. Sometimes three or four fami- 
lies were under his roof at the same time, and at one 
period 21 children inhabited his home for several 
days. 

Mr. Colley (see sketch) was three miles distant, 
and Mr. Summerton resided about a mile away. 
These were the nearest neighbors. The next in 
proximity were located at a distance of 12 miles. 
The first boarding-house at Farwell, Clare County, 
was kept by Mr. and Mrs. Brubaker in 1870. The 
first meal was cooked over a log heap, and the table 
was set in a railroad shanty. The meal was eaten by 
the light of a torch held by Mr. Brubaker. The 
value of that gentleman as a pioneer settler of Isa- 
bella County can be ascertained from the sketches of 
several of the early settlers in Coldwater Township, 
each of whom pays grateful tribute to his sympathy 
and rare abilities, as he was for some time the facto- 
tum of the township in emergencies, when timely aid 
and advice were imperative. There was no physi- 
cian nearer than Mt. Pleasant, and Mr. Brubaker 
was supplied with medical books, a stock of medi- 
cines and a clear head and sound judgment, which 
obtained their full value in the straits in which his 
neighbors sometimes found themselves. 

He resided on his place in Coldwater Township 1 2 
years, when he sold out and purchased 280 acres in 
Gilmore. Of this tract about 100 acres are under 
first-class improvements and in a state of progressive 
cultivation. 

He was married May i, 1859, at Indian Diggings, 
California, to Elizabeth E. Gilbert, daughter of J. 
W. and Abigail (Bradley) Gilbert. The parents are 
deceased ; they died at Plymouth, California, on the 
same day, their deaths occurring about six hours 
apart. Mrs. Brubaker was born May 7, 1844, in 
Shiawassee Co., Mich. Of nine children born to 
Mr. and Mrs. Brubaker, six survive. The record is 
as follows : Orel G. was born April 8, i86o; William 
B., March 21, 1862 ; AbbieC.,Feb. 24, 1864; Charles 
L., July 14, 1869; Harry, July 8, 1875; George O., 
May 28, 1879; Gary R. was born Dec. 13, 1881, and 
died Feb. 16, 1883 : Mary L. was born April 9, 1866, 
snd died Aug. 23, of the same year. Another child 
died in infancy. 



|\®)fe-'K-- 





As the subject of the foregoing record is one of the 
most prominent pioneers of Isabella County, we give 
in this volume a portrait both of himself and his 
estimable wife. 



jichael McGihon, farmer on section 32, 
Nottawa Township, is a son of Robert 
' and Margaret (Morgan) McGihon, natives 
of Ireland, both whom died in Canada. He 
■^^ was born in Wellington, Can., July 20, 1836, and 
made his home with his parents for some years 
after he was of age. He learned the carpenter's 
trade soon after attaining his majority, but he has 
worked more at farming than at carpentry. Leaving 
home, he came to Detroit and spent four years in the 
lumber woods. He bought his present farm of 160 
acres in this county in 1869. He has since sold 40 
acres, and of the remainder 65 acres are improved. 
He was married Jan. 11, 1872, to Miss Sarah Ben- 
nett, daughter of James J. and Priscilla (Margeson) 
Bennett. Mrs. McGihon was born Oct. 25, 1859, 
and is the mother of seven children, — five living : 
Robert James, born Oct. 2, 1873; John Thomas, 
Dec. 2, 1875 ; William Francis, Dec. 8, 1877 : George, 
July 19, 1879, and David, May 22, 1882. 

Mr. McG. was the first white settler in Nottawa 
Townsliip, and was its first Supervisor. At the time 
it was organized there were five white and 28 Indian 
voters within its limits. He has held also the offices 
of Justice of the Peace and Township Clerk. 



-4-ww^Sp- 



^ 



<-^DIi:<^^ 



sl^a^^yron Winters, of the firm of Rowlader & 
j^^ip Winters, general merchants at Blanchard, 
S^*^ is a son of William and Susan (Brown) 
|l Winters, natives of Canada and New York. 
The mother was born in 1829, and died in 
1877 in Lincoln Township, this county. The 
father was born in 1826 in the State of New York, 
went with his parents to Canada, and in 1862 came 
to this State and county [and settled in Fremont 
Township, where he died, in 1863. 

The subject of this sketch was born Aug. 5, 1853, 
in Canada, and came to Michigan with his parents, 



A 



C< 






-v 






4^' 



^ 



1=3 
1=3 

V 

J 



(c^ 



? 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 



">>'^" 



32 1 



at whose home he remained until 23 years old. He 
was then married to Maggie Rowlader, who was 
born in 1856, in Barry Co., Mich., and is the 
daughter of John and Mary A. (Wooley) Rowlader. 
The father was engaged in farming and in sawing 
lumber until 1884, when he bought an interest with 
his son-in-law at Blanchard. 

Mr. and Mrs. Winters are the parents of two chil- 
dren living: Zenith, born Jan. i. 1877 ; and Jay, 
born Nov. 14, 1878. A son, Johnnie, was born Feb. 
2, 1881, and died Dec. 28, 1881. Mr. W. is a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F. and is politically a Republican. 



^ allaoe M. Van Decar, farmer on section 22, 
I^^Mi Nottawa, is a son of Cornelius F. and Lucy 
jte??^ (Bailey) Van Decar. The father was born 
V in Waterford, Saratoga Co., N. Y., near the 

Mohawk River, and died at the same place 
June 15, 1852. The motherwas born in Delhi, 
Delaware Co., N. Y., and is now living at Ballston 
Spa, Saratoga Co., N. Y. 

Their son Wallace was born in Waterford, Sara- 
toga Co., N. Y., Sept. 5, 1844, and resided with his 
parents until 24 years of age, when he was married 
and went to keeping house at Green Island, Albany 
Co., N. Y. Here he was employed as a machinist. He 
served his apprenticeship with Elias Ander, manu- 
facturer of the Button Steam Fire Engine, for whom 
he worked four years. He was for five years at 
Troy, following his trade; then two years at Lansing- 
burg ; then a year and eight months at Canajoharie. 
Thence he went to Ilion, and thence to Troy, and 
for over one year had charge of the machine shop of 
S. H. Brown. From there he went to Herkimer, and 
Nov. 5, 1879, he made his last move, coming to Isa- 
bella County, where he has since been engaged in 
farming and lumbering. He is buying logs and pre- 
paring to erect a saw and planing mill. He enlisted 
in the Union army in January, 1864, and served until 
Aug. 21, 1865. 

He was first married July 4, 1867, to Miss Jennie 
E., daughter of James and Elizabeth (Van Antrop) 
Gosline. She was born Aug. 12, 1848, and died Dec. 
8, 1876, having been the mother of four children : 
Joshua B.,born Nov. 4, i86g, at Green Island, N. Y., 
and died at the same place, Dec. 29, 1869; George 



Wallace, born Nov. 17, 1870 ; at Green Island, and 
died at the same place, April 27, 1871; James W., 
born Aug. 28, 1872, in Waterford, N. Y., and died 
March 26, 1873, at Canajoharie, N. Y. ; Jennie L., 
born July 10, 1875, at Ilion, N. Y., and died Nov. 5, 
1882, at Van Decar. 

Mr. Van Decar's second marriage occurred June 3, 
1877, to Miss Carrie A. Vanderpool, daughter of Sam- 
uel Smith and Henrietta (Gould) Vanderpool. Of this 
marriage three children have been born: Bennett 
T., born April 28, 1878, in Herkimer, N. Y. ; Evalina, 
born March 29, 1880, at Van Decar, and died at the 
same place, Nov. 19, 1882; Edward M., born May 
27, 1883, at Van Decar. 

Mr. Van D. is a Presbyterian in religious faith, 
and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 




^ 



I 

r 



(i 






■?>. 



( 



>; 



ilbert Johnson, farmer, sections 31 and 6, 
Coldwater Township, and merchant at 
Sherman City, was born July 31, 1845. 
He is a son of Amos Stanton and Eliza (Gil- 
bert) Johnson. His mother is still living, in ^ 
Wyoming Co., N. Y. His father died when he \y 
was three years old, and he went to live with his 
grandparents, with whom he remained until he was 
17 years of age, when he began his single-handed 
contest in life. In the spring of 1870 he came to 
East Saginaw, Mich., where he engaged in lumbering 
about seven years. He spent the winter in the woods, 
and during the summers he looked for pine woods 
for lumbering. In 1880 he purchased a half interest 
in his brother's store at Sherman City, and they pass- 
ed two years lumbering, in company. 

Mr. Johnson is enjoying the run of a fine mercan- 
tile business at Sherman City, and owns 240 acres 
of land, with nearly 100 acres under good improve- 
ments and well cultivated. He takes great pride in 
his agricultural operations, and devotes much atten- 
tion to the improvement of his farm. He was mar- 
ried Dec. 10, 1872, to Clara, daughter of Joseph and 
Lucy A. (Lamson) Dotson. Her father was born in 
November, 1820, and her mother Nov. 28, 1821. 
Both parents are living at West Bay City, Mich. 
Their family included three sons and threedaughters: 
Alexander D. and Orbison S. are twins ; Charles H. '^ 
died Nov. 17, 1880; Alice A. died Nov. 30, 1873 J>-^ 



r 



i 



^< Rose N. is the wife of Henry B. Allen, of Chicago. 

.;': Mr. Johnson had three brothers, two of whom died in 
iT:» the army. Amos Johnson, sole surviving brother, re- 

T sides in the county and village of Mecosta. Mr. 
/§ . Johnson's household includes an adopted child,--Mat- 
tie M., born July 4, 1876. 



N. Boyden, farmer, section 15, 
C Deerfield Township, is a son of Francis E. 
and Jerusha (Redman) Boyden, the former 
a native of Vermont and the latter of Massa- 
chusetts. The latter died in February, 1867, 
and the former Feb. 9, 1884. 
The subject of this biographical notice, the young- 
est of eight children in the above family, was born 
Dec. 12, 1842, in Lapeer Co., Mich., and came to 
this county in March, i860. He has a tract of 120 
acres, 65 of which are under cultivation. 

Feb. 22, 1870, at Ovid, Clinton County, Mr. Boy- 
den was married to Miss Lacy Groesbeck, daughter 
of Henry and Rebecca (Fonda) Groesbeck. She 
has by a former marriage a son, Harry A., born Dec. 
25, 1864. 

They are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, and in political matters Mr. B. is independent 
but inclines to the Democratic party. 



,0 



>'^ 



V 

'h 








ohn M. Ford, farmer, section 26, Gilmore 
'^ Township, was born in Independence, Alle- 
gany Co., N. Y., Oct. 15, 1845, ^"d is the 
son of Levi and Susan (Herrick) Ford. The 
parents were natives of the State of New York, 
and the mother survives. The father started 
for Calfornia about 1850, and was never heard from. 
Mr. Ford remained on his father's farm until he 
was 16 years of age, when he entered the military 
service of the United States. He enlisted in the 
85th N. Y. Vol. Inf , and was mustered out about a 
year later, because of disability. His regiment was 
assigned to the Army of the Potomac and he partic- 
ipated in all the battles in which McClellan's forces 
were engaged, until the time of the engagement at 
Fair Oaks, when he was sent to Douglas Hospital, 
Washington, where he remained two months, after 




which he was discharged on a surgeon's certificate 
of disability. 

On being discharged he returned to Allegany Co., 
N. Y., and spent a year working by the month when 
he and his parents came to Allegan Co., Mich. He 
passed the ne.xt two years working alternately in a 
saw-mill and on a farm. He then sold his farm and 
entered a homestead claim of 160 acres in Mason 
Co., Mich. He also engaged in lumbering and re- 
mained there about eight years, when he came to 
Isabella County, reaching here in the spring of 1881. 
He located on a farm he had bought six months be- 
fore. Mr. Ford is a Democrat and a member of the 
Masonic Order. He has been Highway Commis- 
sioner one term and held the various school offices 
of his District. 

He was married Nov. 12, 1865, to Lucy, daughter 
of David and Emily (Jones) Allen, both of whom 
are still living. She was born in the State of New 
York, in '1848. The six children born of this mar- 
riage have been named Emma (deceased), Levi, 
David (deceased), Delia, Elmer and John. 



Aeaae/©^' 



K4— »©§>S)^aOT»v. 






V^ 



^^ iram Barrett, farmer on section 30, Denver 
^. Township, is a son of Hiram and Mary 
" (Fox) Barrett, natives of the State of New 
York. The parents removed to Ohio in 1836 
to Oakland Co., Mich., in 1S41, to Washtenaw 
County three years later, and still laterto Mont- 
calm County, where they died. His departure took 
place Dec. 17, 1867, and hers Jan. 23, 1S75. 

Their fifth son, Hiram, was born in Orleans Co., 
N. Y., Aug. 4, 1831, and was ten years old when the 
family removed to this State. He left home at the 
age of 18, and two years later took up the trade of 
carpenter and joiner, which he followed seven years. 
He then engaged in farming in Montcalm County, 
where he lived 21 years. He sold out in March, 
1880, came to Isabella County and purchased 80 
acres, nearly all wild land, where he now lives. He 
has 35 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Washtenaw Co., Mich., Sept. 2, 
1856, to Miss Mary M., daughter of Abraham and 
Barbara M. (Haner) Vanderpool, natives of Herki- 
mer Co., N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderpool left the 
Empire State in 1855, and came to Monroe County, 






i< 






h 



r 







"T^k' 



•ST 



rC>IlIl§.Illl^>^ 



/^ 



5^= 



Y 



^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^m\W^ 



323 



this State, soon after removing to Washtenaw County. 
Two years later they removed to Wayne County, 
where they now reside. Their eldest daughter, Mrs. 
Barrett, was born in Yates, Orleans Co., N. Y., Oct. 
12, 1834. Cora and Ida are the names of the two 
daughters that have been born to Mr. and Mrs. B. 
Ida died May 15, 1874, aged 14. 

Mr. B. is politically a Republican. He and wife 
are members of the Baptist Church. 

C. Caldwell, farmer, section 9, Deerfield 

Township, was born in Clayton Co., Iowa, 

Oct. 8, 1856; his father, Harris H., was 

native of Massachusetts, and his mother, 

Louisa, nee Boyden, was born Oct. 10, 1837. 

In this family were three children : the eldest 

died in infancy ; Herbert C. and Alice. 

The subject of this sketch came to this county 
with his parents when quite young, and has lived in 
Isabella most of the time since. He was married 
Aug. 6, 1882, to Miss Mary J., daughter of Samuel 
P. Roberts, the latter of whom was born Oct. 31, 
1832, in England, and emigrated to this country with 
his parents when he was only six months old. Her 
mother, Jane, «dv Dugan, was born Dec. r3, 1838. In 
that family were eight children, the youngest of whom 
died in infancy. Mrs. Caldwell was born in Perry 
Co., Ohio, Sept. 10, 1858, and is the eldest of her 
father's family who are living. 

Mr. C. has 40 acres of land, on section 9, 235^ 
acres of which are improved. In politics he is a Re- 
publican, but as to religious matters he is not a mem- 
ber of any Church. Mrs. C. is a member of the 
Disciples' Church. Mr. and Mrs. C. have a son, 
William H., born. May, 31, 1883. 




-^-v^^i 



^'j'A'^tT.'/ , ,-,., I ,' 



^?5-?i- 




fames H. Lloyd, farmer on section 30, Den- 
ver Township, is a son of Benjamin and 
Keturah (Peterson) Lloyd, natives of Penn- 
sylvania and New Jersey. The parents settled 
in Mahoning Co., Ohio, where the father died, 
in September, 1879. The mother survives. 
The subject of this biographical outline was born 
in Mahoning Co., Ohio, March 23, 1854, and received 




a limited education in the common schools. He was 
engaged in farming in his native county until the 
spring of 1882, when he came to Isabella County and 
bought 72 acres of partly improved land on section 
30, Denver Township. • He has now 60 acres under 
cultivation. 

He was married in Columbiana Co., Ohio, Jan. 23, 
1879, toMary, daughter of John S. and Mary (Reahm) 
Rukenbrod, natives, the one of Germany, the other 
of Pennsylvania. The father died in Carroll Co., 
Ohio, Sept. 5, 1856, and his widow now lives in this 
county. Mrs. L. was born in Carroll Co., Ohio, April 
IT, 1854. She is a member of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Politically, Mr. I,, is a Republican. 



ohn Hyslop, farmer on section 10, Nottawa 
Township, is a son of Robert and Mar- 
garet (Marshall) Hyslop, natives of Scot- 
land. The parents died but si.x weeks apart, 
in the year 1873, at Coldwater Lake, Isabella 
County. 

The subject of this record was born in the town of 
Forres, Scotland, June 5, 1838, and lived with his 
parents until his marriage, in August, 1855, to Mar- 
garet Bain, daughter of Alexander and Margery 
(Nory) Bain. She was born May 24, 1838, in Forres, 
Scotland. The young couple at once emigrated to 
America. Landing at New York, they proceeded to 
Beamsville, Can., where they lived about two years 
on a rented farm. Removing then to Bothwell, Can., 
Mr. H. purchased a farm of 50 acres, where they 
lived seven years. At the expiration of that time 
they removed to Teeswater, Can., and purchased a 
farm of 100 acres. Two years later they came to 
Ridgeway, Mich., and worked a rented farm for seven 
years. Their next move was to Coldwater Lake, this 
county, where they purchased 40 acres and lived five 
or six years, when they settled on their present home- 
stead of 40 acres. He follows farming in the sum- 
mers and lumbering in the winters. 

Nine children have been added to the household, 
and seven are yet living, though mostly in homes of 
their own. Following is the record : Margery M. 
was born Oct. 16, 1856, in Beamsville, Can., and 
married David Ford in 1873; Margeret was born June 
3, 1858, in Bothwell, Can., and married Eugene Nich- 



') 



c^: 






t 






ols Dec. 25, 1883; Jessie was born Feb. 25, i860, in 
Bothwell, Can., and married Fred Speck in 1878; 
Robert A. was born Dec. 6, 1862, in Teeswater, Can.; 
Orpha O'Dail was born Aug. 30, 1864, in Ridgeway, 
Mich., was married to David West in 1879, and died 
in 1880; Eliza M. was born Aug. 20, 1866, in Ridge- 
way, Mich.; Alice J. was born March 31, 1868, in 
Ridgeway, Mich., and died April 29, 1869; Ellen 
Lorinda was born June 5, 1874, at Coldwater Lake, 
this county; and Estella was born Feb. 5, 187 1, in 
Ridgeway, Mich. 

Mr. Hyslop helped organize the first school district 
in Nottawa Township, and was its first Director, 
holding the office two terms. He is ix)lilicaily a 
Democrat. 



'^ 



Aaejec/S^-w— {§1 



g^-^w^-a/ZfaOTw 



I^Stenry C. Dodge, farmer on section 20, Ver- 
5:|j^^4.* "on Township, was born in the vicinity of 
(1» Utica, N. Y., Nov. 26, 1836. His father died 
when he, Henry, was nine years old, and his 
mother removed three years later to the north- 
ern part of New York, where he was apprenticed 
to the shoemaker's trade. This calling, and other 
mercantile pursuits, he followed in Jefferson County 
for nearly 20 years. During this time he was Post- 
master at Millen's Bay, in Cape Vincent Township. 
In the month of September, 1864, he enlisted in 
the i68th New York Vol. Inf., and was assigned to 
the Army of the Potomac. He was after a short time 
transferred to the Pioneer Corps, under Gen. Griffin. 
He was at the capture of Petersburg, being in one of 
the first companies which entered that long besieged 
city, and was honorably discharged in July, 1865. 
During the service he was run over by a wagon 
which crippled him for many years. 

Returning to Jefferson Co., N. Y., he shortly dis- 
posed of his property there, and went to Ontario, 
Canada, where he was engaged in agriculture for a 
year. Then for three years he managed a hotel at 
Gananoque, Frontenac Co., Can. At the expiration 
of this time (in 1873) he came to Isabella County 
and purchased 80 acres on section 20, Vernon Town- 
ship, where he has since made his home. He was at 
the time of his first settlement surrounded by the 



natural forest, and his nearest neighbor was miles 
away. He has improved a large portion of his farm, 
and has also erected suitable dwellings. 

He was married in Jefferson Co., N. Y., Nov. 28, 
1846, to Miss Catherine, daughter of Silas and 
Martha (Van Cura) Mosher. Mr. and Mrs. Mosher 
were of English-German descent, followed farming 
and died in the State of New York. Mrs. Dorlge, 
theii daughter, was born in Prescott, Ontario, Nov. 
5, 1823, and when a young girl went with her parents 
to the county where she was married. Mr. and 
Mrs. Dodge have had ir children, four of whom 
are not living. The survivors are : Alwilda E., born 
Nov. 12, 1847; Lois Georgianna, July 4, 1849; Delia 
C, Aug. 4, 1851; Frances C, Feb. 6, 1855; Orsa 
Jane, March 8, 1859; Carrie E., March 14, 1865; 
Willie F., Aug. 27, 1867. The deceased were born 
and died as follows: Martha A., born Sept. 8, 1853, 
and died Dec. 11, 1877 ; Dulcin H., born March 15, 
1857, and died Oct. 9, 1866; Ambro, bom June 30, 
1869, and was drowned May 17, 1864; Nettie E., 
born Sept. 19, 1863, and died Nov. 20, 1866. 

Mr. D. is in political sentiment a Republican. He 
has been Justice of the Peace and Notary Public, 
and is now School Director. 






v^ 




m 



f^^ 



- V 



<^iia>: 



Loomis, 
2, 1826 



ames A. Burwash, merchant at 
aWf," Wise Township, was born March 
^^^"^ in the county of Argenteuil, Quebec, and 
is the son of Stephen and Sarah (Flint) Bur- 
wash. His parents were born in Vermont, of 
Welsh ancestry. They resided in the Green 
Mountain State a short time after marriage, and re- 
moved to Canada. They settled about 45 miles north- 
west of Montreal, where they engaged in farming and 
remained during the last years of their lives. They 
had seven sons and three daughters. 

Mr. Burwash was the si.xth son of his parents, and 
remained at home until he was 1 1 years old, when 
he obtained a position as clerk in a country store, in 
his native province, where he was employed until he 
reached his majority. During the last five years he 
was head salesman and book-keeper of the establish- 
ment. He went to the county of Granville, in Upper 
Canada, where he embarked in mercantile affairs in 



/s 






r 






^^mj^^.^ 




^^^ 



J 



> 



>J 



V 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^^ivi^ 



325 



his own interest, and conducted his business at that 
point with gratifying results. At the end of five years 
he removed his stock to Lanark County, purchased 
property and continued to operate as a tradesman. 
His business did not prove satisfactory, and at the 
end of two years he closed out his stock and went 
to St. Andrews, situated near the Ottawa River, where 
he entered into partnership with his brother Stephen, 
and again sought prosperity in the sea of trade. He 
sold his claim to his brother at the end of a year and 
engaged in a publishing enterprise at Goderich, Can. 
He conducted that three years with success, when he 
sold out and went to Southampton, Ont., where he 
formed an association with the mercantile firm of 
Van Every & Rvmiball, under the style of J. A. Bur- 
wash & Co. Their connection closed at the end of 
three years. Mr. Burwash interested himself in the 
grain commission business and met with success. He 
conducted that line of business seven years. 

In February, 1872, he came to Loomis and en- 
gaged as book-keeper with the lumbering and mer- 
cantile firm of Wise & Loomis, also acting as man- 
ager. In the fall of that year he erected the building 
in which his business is at present established, and 
which was occupied by the firm in whose interests he 
was employed, until the death of Geo. W. Wise, the 
senior partner, in December, 1879. On the occur- 
rence of that event the entire stock of goods of the 
firm of Wise & Loomis passed by purchase into the 
possession of James K. Durling, who retained Mr. 
Burwash as salesman. He remained in his employ 
one year, when he interested himself in a general 
commission business. This continued about a year, 
and in the fall of 1882 he purchased the stock of Mr. 
Durling, establishing his business under the firm style 
of J. A. Burwash & Co. He has continued in trade 
with satisfactory results, his business interests repre- 
senting yearly about $10,000. 

In addition to his private duties he has been active 
in public capacities, serving as School Trustee 
and Notary Public, and is at present officiating as 
Treasurer of the Township. He is a member of St. 
Lawrence (Can.) Lodge, No. 131, F. & A. M., and 
also of Loomis Lodge, No. 1772, K. of H. 

He is a communicant in the Church of England, 
and is independent in political faith. 

The first marriage of Mr. Burwash took place at 
St. Andrews, Can., to Mary Beattie, a native of that 



place. She became the mother of nine childeren, six 
of whom attained maturity, — Mary, Eliza M., Annie 
Belle, Kate, Sarah and John. Their mother died and 
Mr. Burwash was again married, to Catherine Mc- 
Neill, who was born in Scotland. Five children were 
born of this marriage, two of whom, Frank M. and 
Stephen, survive. Mrs. Burwash is a member of the 
Baptist Church. 



^fWw^ illiam M. Peterson, farmer, section 18, 
Deerfield Township, is a son of Peter and 
j:^/;; Deborah (Moslander) Peterson, natives of 
Ic^' New Jersey. They died in Indiana, within 
nine days of each other, in 1849. William 
J M. was born near West Creek, Cape May Co., 
N. J., May 6, 1823, 

He accompanied his parents, when 12 years of 
age, to Columbiana Co., Ohio, and there remained, •; ' 



(^ 



^ 
S 






:.^ 



>:i 



assisting on the farm and attending the common 
schools for three years. He then accompanied them 
to Stark County, same State, and again engaged with 
his father in the vocation of farming, at which place 
he remained for r2 years. His next move was to 
Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, and, after following his occu- 
pation in that county for eight years, he moved to 
Kosciusko Co., Ind., and farmed for ten years. Sept. 
3, 1865, he and his family came to this county and 
settled on the northeast cjuarter of section 34, Rolland 
Township. He lived there for ten years, until 1875, 
when he moved on his present farm on section 18, 
Deerfield Township. His farm consists of 200 acres, 
80 of which are in a good state of cultivation. 

Mr. Peterson was united in marriage, Aug. 9, 1846, 
to Mary Ann, daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Tom) 
Richardson, natives of Germany and Pennsylvania 
respectively. Her father died in 1834 and her mo- 
ther in 1846. Mrs. Peterson was born April 15, 
1828, in Stark Co., Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson 
are the parents of ten children, all living but one, 
namely. Orlando, born Sept. 19, 1848; Angelina, 
May 24, 1850; Geo. W., July 25, 1854; James R., 
Jan. I, 1857; Alice L., Jan. 14, 1859; Lucinda, 
March 17, 1861 ; Wm. Henry, April 13, 1863; Jo- 
sephine, June 29, 1865, John M., Nov. 11, 1867; 
Mary, March 14, 1852, died Oct. 21, 1880. 

Mr. Peterson was a soldier in tiie late war, enlist- 



326 



-^^V^DD'^liDf^v-^ :^^^ 4^^^K<^vf§ 



I 

(L 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



> 







I 



ing in the S7th Ind. Vol. Inf., and participated in 
the battles of LaVergne, Stone River and Hoover's 
Gap, and was mustered out of service in August, 
1863. 

Mr. Peterson has held the position of Supervisor 
of his township for eight years since coming to the 
county. He is a member of the Masonic Lodge at 
Mt. Pleasant, and he and his wife are both members 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

Politically, Mr. P. is a Republican. He is a repre- 
sentative man of the township, and an honored and 
respected citizen. 

lahlon H. Malcomb, farmer, section 10, 
Gilmore Township, was born Dec. 20, 
-iWiSir^ 1842, in Mill Township, Grant Co., Ind., 
yl^^ and is the son of Samuel and Beulah Mal- 
comb. The parents were both natives of Indi- 
ana; the mother died in Grant Co., Ind., and 
the father in Osceola Co., Kansas. 

At the age of 18 years Mr. Malcomb entered the 
military service of the United States. He enlisted 
Sept. 5, i86i,in the 34th Ind. Vol. Inf, and was 
mustered out Oct. 20, 1864, at Auburn, N. Y. He 
was in the engagement at Port Gibson and Champion 
Hill, and was in the skirmish at New Madrid, Mo., 
and at Jackson, Miss. At the latterhe was wounded 
in the left arm and passed nearly a year in the hos- 
pital. On his discharge from the sick list he was as- 
signed to the 19th Regiment, V. R. C, in the In- 
valid Corps. When he was discharged from .the 
service he returned home and assisted his father 
about one year, and in October, 1865, came to Isa- 
bella Co., Mich., where he homesteaded 80 acres of 
land on section 2, which he afterwards sold and 
bought 80 acres on section 14, and also 40 acres on 
the section on which he resides. This latter tract 
he purchased with $100 which he received from the 
U. S. Government. 

Mr. Malcomb was married Sept. 11, 1866, at Mt. 
Pleasant, to Rachel M., daughter of William and 
Sarah Phipps. She was born Nov. 10, 1848, and 
died Dec. 27, 1879. Six children born of this mar- 
riage are recorded as follows : William Jasper, born 
Feb. 2, 1868, died July 26, 1870; Florence Louisa, 
July 13, 1869, died July 30, 1870; Reuben Uriah, 




^amuel C. Zeiter, lumberman, resident at 
Loomis, Wise Township, was born May 11, 
1^^^ 1843, in Erie Co., N. Y. His parents, 
Joseph and Sophia (Schafer) Zeiter, were na- 
tives of Pennsylvania and resided in that State 
a short time after their maraiage, when they 
removed to the State of New York. In 1855, they 
came to Genesee Co., Mich., and eight years later 
became residents of Gratiot County, where they now 
reside. 

Mr. Zeiter was a boy of 11 years when his parents 
came to Michigan, and he remained at home, assist- 
ing his father, until he was rg years of age, when he 
entered the military service of the United States. 
He enlisted Aug 11, 1862, in the 23d Mich. Vol. Inf. 
He was in the service three years, and received an 
honorable discharge at Salisbur)', N. C. He was on 
continual duty during the entire period as private, 
Corporal and Sergeant, and received two slight injur- 



March 6, 1870, and died Aug. 2, 1870; John Wesley, 
Sept. 5, 1872; Mary Amanda, Dec. 15, 1874; 
Martha Eunice, May 10, 1878. The second mar- 
riage of Mr. Malcomb occurred Nov. 7, i88o, to Mrs. 
Susan A. (Powell) Bugbee. She was born May 31, v^ 
1845, in Perry Co., Ohio. They have a twin son 
and daughter, Arthur and Artie, born July 19, 1882, 
and a daughter, Ive, born April 24, 1884. Mrs. 
Malcomb has been married three times. Her first 
husband was George W. Blackstone, to whom she 
was married in Perry Co., Ohio. They emigrated 
thence to Kansas, where the husband died, Aug. 17, 
1866, one year after removal there. One child, 
James Orlando, was born June 14, 1866, and died 
Oct. 2, following. She was a second time married 
Feb. 22, 1874, to G. E. Bugbee, who died May 18, 
1879. Of the second marriage three children were 
born, whose record is as follows : Elinora, born 
Dec. 18, 187s, and died March 8, 1876; Eli was 
born Oct. 29, 1876; Freddie, born Aug. 30, 1878, 
and died in October, 1878. Their parents are mem- 
bers of the Baptist Church. Mr. Malcomb is a 
Republican in political sentiment and has served 
two terms as Highway Commissioner. He owns 120 
acres of land and has 20 acres improved. Mrs. 
Malcomb owns 40 acres in Coldwater. 



9 

1 






( 



^ 



WlM^/^^ ^"^^ — ^7^nii^iitifi>A:^^ — ^^^^- ^^fi^m>M^ 



Wi 




OJftc^ ^' ^.rz^OLciL^-^ 



m 



-^^K — ^v<4ii n^ n n^^r 



^ 



ro 



A 



I 



(^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



ies. While on picket before Atlanta he was hit in 
the head by a spent ball, and at the charge at Resaca 
he was slightly wounded in the right shoulder, but in 
neither instance was he incapacitated for duty. 

On receiving iiis discharge he returned to Gratiot 
County, and soon after became interested in lumber- 
ing, which has occupied his attention since that pe- 
riod. He settled at Loomis, Isabella County, in 
October, 1882. He formed a partnership with J. T. 
Horning, of Flint, and the firm are extensively inter- 
ested in lumbering. They own and operate a saw and 
shingle mill and employ a working force of 60 men 
during the winter season, and about 16 through the 
remainder of the year. Their mill has a producing 
capacity of 25,000 feet of lumber daily. Mr. Zeiter 
is a Republican in political principle. 

He was married Jan. 10, 1868, in Gratiot Co., 
Mich., to Annie J., daughter of Robert and Lucy 
(Shatton) Webb. She was born Sept. 5, 1850, in 
Norfolk Co., Can., and is of English parentage. 
Frankie A., only child, was born June i6, 187 1. 
Mrs. Zeiter is a member of the Baptist Church. 




: elson Wellman, farmer, section 26, Gil- 
more Township, was born June 3, 1837, in 
Wayne Co., N. Y., and is a son of Eli and 
Harriet (Fowls) Wellman. They were natives 
of Vermont, and both died in Barry Co., Mich, 
the demise of the father occurring in July, 1872, 
and that of the mother Dec. 28, 1881. 

Mr. Wellman accompanied his parents to Barry 
Co., Mich., when he was 19 years old. His father 
purchased a farm and he worked as a farm assistant 
by the month. In i860 he purchased a farm of his 
father in Barry County, and he has owned three oth- 
ers of 40 acres each at different times. He disposed 
of his Barry County property in March, 1879, and 
soon after purchased 80 acres of land in Isabella 
County, under partial improvements. He is a Re- 
publican in political sentiments, and is now a Justice 
of the Peace. 

Mr. Wellman was married July 6, 1859,10 Caroline, 
daughter of John and Zilphia (Crippin) Duffey. She 
was born April ?6, 1842, and is the mother of six 




children, whose record is as follows : Belle was born 
June 19, i860; Efifie, Aug. 20, 1862; Charles W., 
Aug. I, 1864; Violet, Feb. 7, 1877; Alta V., Aug. 
28, 1879; Clyde, Nov. 14, 1883. 

Mr. Wellman became a soldier of the United 
States during the civil war, enlisting April 23, 1862, 
in the 23d Mich. Inf , and was assigned to Mulligan's 
Brigade. He was mustered out June 23 following, 
at Camp Douglas, Chicago, on account of disability. 



-^taaa^S^-^—fel 



^•^.sywjrav 




U Ifred C. Rowlader, farmer and teacher, sec- 
_ lion 15, Lincoln Township, was born in 
^° Woodland Township, Barry Co., Mich., 
April 21, 1856. His father, Washington Row- 
lader, was a native of New York State, is 
farmer by occupation, and is still a resident of 
Barry County; his mother, Permelia (Myers) Rowla- 
der, was a native of Pennsylvania, of German ances- 
try, and died at her home in Barry County, in 1865. 
Alfred, the subject of this biographical notice, lived 
with his parents in his native place until 22 years of 
age. Having received a good common-school edu- 
cation, he began teaching at the age of 19, in Ionia 
County, and taught four terms of school. In the 
spring of 1878 he came to this county and ])urchased 
80 acres of land, owned previously by Nelson Ives, 
on section 15, where he now resides. After spending 
one year on the place, and boarding, he returned to 
Barry County and married Miss Cora J., daughter of 
Israel and Elizabeth (Smith) Cooper, natives of New 
York, of New England ancestry and of German ex- 
traction. They both died in Barry County, he in 1864 
and she in 1867, aged respectively 57 and 42. Mrs. 
R. was born in Woodland Township above mentioned, 
March 26, 1858. Being young when her parents 
died, she qualified herself with a good education, 
and began leaching at the age of 16, and followed 
this profession and that of music until she was mar- 
ried. The young couple immediately settled at their 
new home in this county, where they have since lived 
and prospered. Their children now are, Bessie P., 
born Jan. 5, 1880; Inez L., June 22, 1881 ; and 
Alfred W., March 10, 1883. 

Mr. R. is a skillful farmer, although young, having 
now about 60 acres in a good state of cultivation, with 

•^^Miy^ ^^^^^^ H 



,f(^ 

s 




'^l/®))«^#- 



330 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^^ 



S-f comfortable residence, barn, etc. He has held the 

>^ . . 

'i|] office of Township Clerk, and is now Supervisor, 

^^ being elected to the latter office in April, 1883. On 

* national affairs he is counted in the Republican 

party. 



V 




/?S 



:<v' 



I 



The portrait of Mr. Rowlader, on a preceding 
page, is an addition to our collection of which the 
citizens of Isabella County will certainly feel proud. 



fames C. Hammond, farmer, section 26, 
^ Coldwater Township, was born Jan. 30, 
1857, near St. John's, Clinton Co., Mich., 
and is the son of Carmi and Marj' A. (Willett) 
Hammond. His parents were born respect- 
ively in Vermont and New York. They came 
to Coldwater Township, Isabella County, in the 
spring of 1876, where his father bought 160 acres of 
land. His mothei died in Clinton County, Feb. 21, 
1876, and the demise of his father occurred in Cold- 
water Township, July 9, 1883. 

Mr. Hammond remained at home with his parents 
until he was of age. He was married July 3, 1876, 
to Mary M., daughter of G. W. and Esther Brown. 
She was born Oct. 24, 1856. Following is the record 
of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond : 
Willett, April 29, 1877; Esther Ann, Nov. 3, 1879; 
Alma Grace, Sept. 20, 1882. 

Mr. Hammond is a Republican in political senti- 
ment. 



«^— - 



: obert Pearson, farmer on section 18, Den- 
_^ ver Township, is a son of Richard and 
Af<lr^' ^^^"^^ (Ryan) Pearson, natives of Ireland. 
IK^ The father emigrated to Canada in 1838, and 
married and settled in the Dominion, where 
still lives. 
The subject of this biography was born in the 
county of Holton, Can., April 8, 1842. He received 
an elementary English educaton, and at 15 years of 
age went out to work. He was employed for one 
man, driving a team, for six years and nine months. 
At the expiration of that time he left Canada and 
came to Detroit, Mich., where he was employed by 
the Government as a teamster for seven months. 





Then for three summers he followed the lakes 
sailor. During the last season he met with a dis 
tressing accident, breaking his right leg, in conse- 
quence of which he was laid up one year. He then 
came to Saginaw and worked a winter in the woods, 
driving logs in the spring ensuing. He was employed 
for four summers by the Tittabawassee Boom Com- 
pany, and until 1875 he was engaged in lumbering, 
logging or some kindred business. At that time he 
came to Isabella County and bought 80 acres in Den- 
ver Township, where he now has 65 acres under 
cultivation. 

He was married in Georgetown, Holton Co., Can., 
May 6, 1869, to Mary A., daughter of Robert and Jane 
(Shaw) McCoimick, natives of Ireland. Mrs. P. was 
also born in Ireland. April 6, 1847. She and her 
hnsband have three children, Jennie, Ella M. and 
Robert. 

Mr. P. has held the office of Supervisor of Denver 
Township two years. Justice of the Peace four years, 
School Moderator five years. Township Treasurer 
two years, and is at the present time Treasurer and 
Deputy Sheriff. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., 
and is politically a Republican. 

^-.<.4^=<^*^V>— {^ 

^i^^to'oseph A. Graham, farmer and County Sur- 
lii^^lEr veyor, residing on section i5,IsabellaTown- 
T-jS^^"' ^ ship, was I)orn Jan. 23, iS38,andis the son 
^'tM. '^^ Andrew and Maria (Shaw) Graham, natives 
^|F of Ireland, and of pure Irish extraction. The 
\ parents are both deceased, the father dying near 
Toronto, Can., in 1881, aged 70 years, and the moth- 
er in the same place in 1S75. 

Joseph lived with his parents, assisting the father 
in the maintenance of the family and attending the 
common schools, until he attained the age of 24 
years. During this time he spent two years attending 
commercial college at Buffalo, N. Y. He completed 
his course there in 1856, and then entered on the 
profession of teaching, which he followed seven con- 
secutive years in his native county. 

In 1874 Mr. Graham purchased So acres of land 
in this county, and the following year (1875) arrived 
here and at once began its improvement. The land 
was all heavily timbered, and the hand of improve- 
ment in his neighborhood was hardly visible. He 



^ 



A 



^i<>. 






c 



■■-J 



ir-.£:45^B 



<^Da^Dni>^r9- 



^:^^ 



«^^5$@y^^^ 



-:2i^^ 6^V<^Iltl^Hll>>r-e^ :2J^i^' 



A 

1=3 



I 



ISABELLA CO UN-TV. 






^ 



nevertheless was firm in the belief that the near 
future would witness a wonderful development in 
the county, and, armed with this faith and energy, he 
began to clear and prepare his land for a future and 
permanent abode for himself and family. He subse- 
quently added 40 acres to his original purchase, and 
of his entire landed interest he now has 80 acres un- 
der first-class improvement, and on it is a fine orchard 
of 200 trees. He has erected a large stock and grain 
barn on his farm, at a cost of $900, and also built a 
commodious and comfortable residence, and is, with 
his family, enjoying the fruits of his own energetic 
labors. Jan. 30, 1862, Mr. Graham was united in 
marriage at Toronto, Can., to Miss Mary A., daughter 
of Hugh and Catharine (Cook) Graham, natives of 
New York and Connecticut, and of North Ireland 
parentage. She was born in the vicinity of Toronto, 
Can., Oct. 18,1838. 

The husband and wife are the parents of three 
children: Hugh A., born Jan. 28, 1863; Frederick, 
born April 18, 1865; Catharine E., born Dec. 14, 
1866, died Nov. 7, 1881. 

Mr. and Mrs. Graham are members of long stand- 
ing in the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. G. is a 
memberof the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 305, at Mt. 
Pleasant. He is the present County Surveyor and 
has held the position for four years. Politically, he is a 
Republican, and has creditably held the offices of his 
township and school district. 



^^ ^harles W. Gaumer, farmer, section 10, 

jlf^^^ Coldwater Township, was born April 17, 

Jg' 1852, in New Jersey. His parents, Isaac and 

JC; Mary (Metz) Gaumer, were natives respect- 

M^ ively of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 

1855 they came to Michigan, and rented a 

farm in Rochester, in Oakland County. Ten years 

later, they rented a place in the vicinity of St. John's, 

Clinton County, where they remained five years, 

when they came to Coldwater, Isabella County. The 

father died April 13, 1879, at the residence of his 

son; his mother is still living and is cared for by her 

daughter, Mrs. Jesse E. Forbes, of this township. 

Mr. Gaumer was under the control of his parents 

during his minority, and in 1881 he became the pro- 

7^^ prietor by purchase of 80 acres of unimproved land. 




He has converted about 38 acres from the condition 
in which it was placed by nature, and has a valuable 
and profitable farm. Mr. Gaumer belongs to the 
Republican party in political sentiment. 

He was married Sept. 10, 1879, to Florence A., 
daughter of Jacob and Eliza (Shoemaker) Isanhart, 
both of whom were natives of Ohio. Her mother 
died in November, 1876, in Sheridan Township, 
Mecosta County. Eula, only child, was born Nov. 
18, i88q. 

^5 #-# ^ 




V 



i^^ 



-K^ 



eter Conley, farmer, section 23, Coldwater 
.. .aa^n- Township, was born June 24, 1833, in 
j|©^ County Tyrone, Ireland. His parents were 
jijj''"-' both natives of the Emerald Isle, and emi- 
Jlf. grated to the New World in August, 1849. 
His father bought 200 acres of land in Sheffield, 
Canada. 

Mr. Conley remained with his parents, and in the 
Dominion, until 1852, when he went to Charlotte, 
Monroe Co., N. Y., where, and at Clarkson and 
Brockport in the same county, he remained three 
years. In 1855 he returned to Canada, where, in 
company with his father, he purchased 200 acres of 
land. After a few years, they divided the estate and 
Mr. Conley sold his half. During his residence in 
Canada, he had been engaged alternately in Mich- 
igan and Canada, working as a lumberman and on 
the Ionia & Houghton Lake State Road, working in 
the interest of E. Hall. In July, 1871, he sold his 
property in Canada. Three years previous, in March, 
1868, he made a homestead claim in Michigan and 
returned to the Dominion. Through the species of "1 
chicanery known as "jumping," which has wrought 
so much miscliief and against which struggling set- 
tlers have been so powerless in the whole history of 
Michigan, Mr. Conley lost his claim, and, on coming 
to Michigan to make a permanent settlement, he 
bought 80 acres of land of the Flint & Pere Mar- 
quette Railroad Company, which he yet owns, and to 
which he has since added 80 acres by purchase. Of 
this he has cleared and improved all but 60 acres. 
Mr. C. is a Democrat in political faith. 

He was married June i8, 1873, to Mary Helen, 
daughter of Jackson and Louisa (Wilson) Alexander. 
She was born in Minnesota in 1857. The children 

:m^j^ — ^<:::.^ — 






C-0. 






/O 










#^- 



<^Da>KDD.>r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






-4^^5f 





of Mr. and Mrs. Conley are three in number and 
were born as follows: Richard Arthur, April i6, 1875; 
Frederick Henry, July 23, 1877; Owen Thomas, Sept. 
27, 1880. Two children died in infancy. 



i^ohn Miller, farmer, section 16, Deerfield 
1^- Township, is a son of William and Rosan- 
na Miller, both natives of Ireland, who 
came to Canada in 1830, the former dying 
there the same year and the mother in 1854. 
John lived there until 1868, when he moved to 
Iowa, and ten years afterward he came to this county, 
purchasing 80 acres from the State and his sons buy- 
ing 240 acres of land from Brown & Goodale. He 
has 100 acres under good cultivation. 

Mr. Miller was born Sept. 15, 1828, in Ireland; 
was married April i, 1853, to Miss Mary Kating, 
daughther of Nicholas and Julia Kating. (Her 
father died Aug. ig, 1877.) Mr. and Mrs. Mil- 
ler have had 12 children, 11 of whom are living, 
namely: William, born Jan. 19, 1854; Rosanna, 
March 18, 1855; James, June 7, 1857; John, Feb. 
24, 1859; Ella, Feb. 17, 1861 ; Stephen, Jan. 13, 
1863; Thomas, Dec. 28, 1864; Mary, Dec. 21, 
1856; Sarah, Aug. 15, i86g, Elizabeth, Aug. 2, 1873; 
Julia, June 2, 1875; Eliza, Nov. 9, 1870; died Aug. 
19, 1872. 

Mrs. Miller is a member of the Catholic Church. 



fhomas W. Bobinson, farmer, section 8, 

Wise Township, was born Feb. 13, 1839, in 

Canada. His parents, John and Margery 

^ (Montcreaf) Robinson, were natives of the 

State of New York. 

Mr. Robinson came to Saginaw when he was 
eight years of age, where he remained four years. In 
185 1 he went to Iowa, where he continued to reside 
until he was 23 years old, and was chiefly engaged 
in teaming. At the age named he returned to Can- 
ada and became interested in mercantile business at 
Hastings, in the county of Peterborough. In 187 i 
he came to Saginaw and engaged as a check clerk in 
the employment of the Flint & Pere Marquette Rail- 
road Company. In the fall of 1873 he located at 

JI'V^)^^^- ^^^- — ^^-^^n a :^. no v> 



Loomis, and since that time has been chiefly inter- 
ested in lumbering. In 1880 he bought 80 acres of 
wild land on section 8, in which he settled in the 
spring of 1882. Of this he has cleared and improved 
35 acres. Mr. Robinson is a Republican in political 
sentiment and has officiated eight years as a Justice 
of the Peace, as School Director three years, and 
two years as Notary Public. He is a member of the 
Order of Masonry and belongs to Lodge No. 1772, 
Knights of Honor, at Loomis. 

He was married Feb. 25, 1861, at Norwood, Ont., 
to Eliza Weston, a native of England, where she was 
born Feb. 22, 1845. Of seven children born of this 
marriage three are deceased, — Maud, Ray and Eliza. 
George W., John S., Thomas B. and Violet A. are 
living. The mother died Jan. 18, 1876, at Loomis. 

• — ^-j— <s — a-s$<aaw®-° » i< - — • 

anson "Wing, farmer on section 34, Vernon 
Township, was born in Haldimand Co., Ont., 
May 30, 1839; and is the son of John and 
Almira (Randall) Wing. The parents were 
natives of Vermont, of New England descent, 
and their family included two daughters and 
five sons, Lanson being the youngest. Both parents 
died in Ontario, the mother when the subject of this 
sketch was very young. 

For a short time after his mother's death, he was 
under the charge of his father ; and then, with a 
a brother and sister, he was sent to live with a man 
named George Brown, where he remained over ten 
years. He then went to live with a sister, and for 
some time alternately worked on the farm and at- 
tended school. He came to this State in 1859, and 
located at Port Huron, where he followed the trade 
of carpentry. This he had learned when a boy. In 
the summer of 1863 he removed to Saginaw, and in 
the fall of 1865 he came to this county. He re- 
mained a year at Mt. Pleasant, during which time 
he worked on the first church edifice in that village, 
for the Methodists, at that time under the charge of 
Elder Bradley. He ]then obtained 80 acres where 
he now lives. His was the tenth family to locate in 
Vernon, and that season (1866) was the first when 
any logging was done in that township. He has im- 
proved most of his land, and erected the usual farm 
buildings. 

He was married in Ontario, May 25, i860, to Miss 



^ 



A 






G 



5 



2-^. 



_^^T^^rr_ 



sJAy^ 



X^ ^^ ^ f L;■«^ 




rf^ 



T^f^^-^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



333 



f 






^ 



AX 



Anna Flanagan, daughter of James and Anna 
(Goslin) Flanagan. The parents and daughter were 
natives of Ireland, where the latter was born, Nov. 
14, 1845. When she was three years old, her 
parents settled in Ontario, where she lived until her 
marriage. She is the mother of 1 1 children, nine of 
whom survived. Following was the record : Hattie 
A., born March 15, 1863; John A., April 20, 1867; 
Anna, March 19, 1869; Lanson, April 17, 1873; 
Levi F., Feb. 6, 1877; Ellen, Feb. i, 1879; Freddie 
and Josephine, Sept. 20, 1881; Thomas, March 6, 
1884. Edwin H. was born March 30, 1861, and 
died Aug. 18, 1873. Mary was born Feb. 8, 1875, 
and died March 6, 1875. 

Mr. Wing belongs to Clare Lodge, No. 333, I. O. 
O. F. He has been Township Treasurer, and is 
now Justice of the Peace and School Director. He 
supports the Democratic party. 



obias P. Horning, manufacturer of lumber 
and shingles, residing at Clare, was born in 
Amherst Township, Erie Co., N. Y., March 
28, 1843, and lived with his parents until 
legally of age, alternately attending school and 
working on the farm. He then came to this 
State and located in Richfield, Genesee County, 
where he was engaged in a saw-mill. He was a 
natural machinist and engineer, and without any 
special training undertook to run the engine, in 
which he was successful. After a year at the engine 
he exchanged his work for that of head sawyer and 
filer. In 1865 he went to East Saginaw, where he 
was employed principally as a filer. In the fall of 
the same year he returned to Genesee County, where 
he was married ; and two years later he came to Isa- 
bella County and located on section 21, Vernon 
Township, where he and his brother bought 640 
acres of pine land. Two years afterwards he re- 
moved to Clare and engaged in the manufacture of 
lumber and shingles, which is his present occupation. 
In 1878 he erected a grist-mill in connection with his 
saw-mill; but finding it unprofitable he exchanged 
it after three years for an 80-acre farm in Vernon 
Township. His present saw-mill ha? a capacity for 




cutting 15,000 feet of lumber and 30,000 shingles 
daily. He owns also a fine residence. 

He was married in Genesee County, this State, 
Oct. 2, 1867, to Miss Amelia Reece, a native of that 
county. Guy R. and Ray R. are the two sons born 
to Mr. and Mrs. H. 

Mr. Horning is politically a " National." He was 
for two years Township Treasurer, and has been also 
village President, and has been village Trustee sev- 
eral years. He is at present Chief Engineer of the 
Fire Department of Clare. 



^SSHSSSS 



ti^rt-^s- 



9 



bFFSiiiJ^lli^™ E. Hanne, farmer, section o, Deer- 
^^•^ {3 field Township, is a son of John and 
Vl^O Catherine Hanne, both of German ancestry. 
(His mother died Sept. 18, 1882.) 
He was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., Feb. 8, 
550; lived in the Empire State until 1870, 
when the family moved to Ohio; a year and a half 
afterward he went to Kings City Township, McPher- 
son Co., Kan., and 1 1 years subsequent to that he 
came to this county, purchasing 120 acres of land, 
where he now has 13 acres well subdued to cultiva- 
tion. 

June 12, 1875, he married Miss Charity, daughter 
of Henry H. and Mary E. (Lauderdale) Stewart. 
Her father died about three years ago, and her 
mother is still living, in Fulton Co., Ohio. To Mr. 
and Mrs. Hanne have been born five children, 
namely. Homer E., Florence S., William Howard, 
living, and two who died in infancy. 

With regard to political issues, Mr. Hanne votes 
with the Republicans. 



^j^^rames Campbell, farmer, section 17, Coe 
1i^^i|r Township, is a son of John and Maria 
Igy'.v''^ (Tusten) Campbell, the former a native of 'W 
m£ ^'■^'^"d ^"d the latter of Pennsylvania, who 
It passed their lives in Chester Co., Pa., she dy- 
^ ing in 1837 and he in 1859. They had seven 
children. 

The subject of this sketch was born in the above 
county May i, 1830, was reared on a farm and edu- 



i^^r®^^^ 



i^ 



rrr^ 



<>M'M^'i^- 



j::^. 



334^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






$ 

^ 



^ 



^ 



^ 

^ 

6 



cated at the common school. When of age he came 
to Jackson County, this State, where for two years he 
worked on a farm by the month. In October, 1854, 
he came to this county and entered 240 acres of land 
in Coe Township. He has since disposed of all but 
no acres, and he now has 90 acres in good cultiva- 
tion, with a good residence and Sne farm buildings. 
He was a pioneer, commencing with a log cabin in 
the wilderness, and has prospered as an industrious, 
economical husbandman, having now the essentials 
of a comfortable home. He has been Pathmaster 
for several years, and is at -present School Director, 
which office he has held for 15 years. In national 
politics he is a Democrat, and in religion he, as well 
as wife, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 

In September, 1864, he enlisted in the 15th Mich. 
Inf and served about nine months, receiving an 
honorable discharge at Washington, D. C. During 
his military experience he received no wound and 
met with no serious accident. 

Mr. Campbell was married, in Jackson Co., Mich., 
Jan. 18, 1855, to Euphemia, daughter of John and 
Rachel (Bloat) Neely, who were natives of New York 
State. Mrs. C. was born in Manchester, Mich., May 
17, 1834. The children born in this family are, Isa- 
bella, Rachel A., Nettie, George B., Ada and Ella, 
besides Hattie and Charlie, deceased. 



harles Bobbins, farmer, sec. 14, Gilmore 
3(1 Township, was born April 23, 1847, in 
■*" Montcalm Co., Mich., and is the son of 
Noah and Eliza (White) Robbins. His father 
is deceased and his mother is living, in the 
south part of Isabella County. 
When Mr. Robbins became of age, he entered his 
first papers to a homestead claim of 40 acres of land 
where he now lives. The entry was made in 1868 
and his patent was granted him in 1873. H!e has 
placed his entire farm under cultivation. He is a 
Republican in political connection. He has been 
twice married. His union with Keziah, daughter of 
William and Sarah Phipi)S, occurred June 6, 1872. 
She was born Feb. 26, 1839, and died Dec. 9, 1879. 
Following is the record of the children born of this 




marriage: Albert P., born Aug. 9, 1873, died Dec. 
13, 1879; Alfred S., born July 10, 1875, died Dec. 
30, 1879; James was born Sept. 12, 1878, and died 
soon after birth. Lucy K. was born Dec. 2, 1879, and 
died nine days later. Three children died within 
22 days and the household was desolated with the 
exception of the father. He was a second time mar- 
ried March 17, 1881, to Nancy A., daughter of George 
W. and Esther Jane (Powell) Brown. She was born 
Nov. 18, 18153. The two children now included 
in the fanaily circle were born as follows: Melinda, 
Jan. 28, 1882, and George W., born Feb. 22, 1884. 



E 



^ 



---'vv^Sf- 




'homas Carroll, farmer and present Super-, 
visor of Isabella Township, residing on 
^ section 1 1, was born in Ireland, March 15, 
847. 
The parents of Mr. Carroll, Patrick and Mar- 
garet (Kelley) Carroll, were natives of the 
" Emerald Isle," and of pure Irish blood. The father 
was a farmer by occupation and followed his calling 
in his native country, and there died, about the year 
1848. The mother also died in the same country, 
about the same year, within a week of the demise of 
the father, and when Thomas was only one year old. 

Soon after the death of his parents, Thomas was 
brought by his relatives to this country. They lo- 
cated in Seneca Co., N. Y., and a few years after 
their settlement, Thomas was adopted by a Mr. John 
D. King, a farmer of that county. He lived with Mr. 
King, working on the farm and attending the com- 
mon schools until 187 1, when he came to this State 
and settled in Branch County. Here he worked a 
farm on " shares " in the county of Coldwater, and 
then went to Bay City, where he worked for a Mr. 
H. O. Fisher, an extensive lumberman of that place. 

Six years later, in 1875, Mr. Carroll came to this 
county and purchased 40 acres of land on section 11, 
Isabella Township. The land was heavily timbered, 
and by honest industry and energetic effort he haj, 
unaided, placed 30 acres of it in a good state of 
cultivation. 

Mr. Carroll was united in marriage, in Clare, April 
5, 1875, to Miss Udella, daughter of John S. and 
Margaret (Weaver) Skinner, natives of New York 
and residents of Michigan almost all their lives, in 



9 

A 



3=1 

T — ! 



i. 



n 



4^ 



> X i a(K 



<«iin:-!?iiii->^ 



::^. 



— ^\>> 



r 



/N 



V 



.^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^Sf^i 



4^^(<^-l® 



335 



which State ihey both died, the father in Hillsdale 
and the mother in Branch County. Udella was born 
in Branch County, Sept. i6, 1858. Her father dying 
when she was 14 years of age, she was thrown upon 
the mercies of an unthinking world and compelled 
to earn her own livelihood. She engaged as a do- 
mestic, and in that capacity battled against pride and 
earned her own living until her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Carroll are the parents of three chil- 
dren : John D. K., born July 25, 1876; Genoa S., 
July 27, 1878; and Thomas F., May 13, 1883. 
Politically, Mr. Carroll is a "liberal " Democrat. He 
has held the office of Township Clerk for three terms 
and Supervisor for five years; and is an esteemed 
and respected citizen of his township. 




j|l!J^rank H. Tyler, M. D., homeopathic physi- 
cian and surgeon at Mt. Pleasant, was 
born Aug. 28, 1855, in St. Joseph Co., 

Mich., on a farm eight miles north of Sturgis. 

He is a son of Ansel and Harriet (Foote) 

Tyler, the former a native of Onondaga Co., 
N. Y., and a farmer all his life, until the past few 
years, which he has devoted to his lumber interests 
at Sturgis. The mother was born in Genesee Co., 
N. Y., and is still living at Sturgis. The parents 
both came to Michigan with their respective families 
about 1833 or 1834. Three children were born to 
them. Dr. Tyler is the eldest; Minnie M. is Pre- 
ceptress of the High School at Sturgis; Justin R. is 
the youngest. 

Dr. Tyler was reared as a farmer's son, alternating 
the labors of the summers with winter study, until he 
was 16 years old, when he went to Evanston and 
entered the Northwestern University, where he 
studied two years. He went thence to the State 
Normal School of Michigan at Ypsilanti. Leaving 
there, he became a teacher and passed two years in 
that capacity at Nottawa, after which he began read- 
ing for his profession in the office of Dr. W. E. Clark, 
of Three Rivers. In the fall of 1878 he entered the 
Medical Department of the University of Michigan, 
where he was graduated in the spring of 1880, at the 
Homeopathic College. He passed a year as As- 
sistant to Dr. Franklin, Professor of Surgery in the 
College named, and afterwards opened an office at 
Sturgis, where he remained until he established his 






own business at Mt. Pleasant in September, 1 883. 
His practice is popular and extending gradually and 
permanently in the village and surrounding county. 
He has the county appointment of Physician for his 
district, which comprises the townships of Union, 
Deerfield, Isabella and Nottawa. 



i 



-~*'^^Si~i^ — ^ 








s:/ 

% 



heodore Hengesbach, farmer, section 3, 
Deerfield Township, is a son of William 
and Catherine (VVeber) Hengesbach, who 
were natives of Germany, and was born in 
Clinton Co., Mich., Sept. r4, r846, and was 
educated at the common school. At the age 
of r5 he began to learn the trade of shoemaker, 
which he followed until 1880. In March, 1S80, he 
came to Isaljella County and settled on a half of 
section 3, Deerfield Township, which he had pur- 
chased the previous fall. He has since disposed of 
200 acres, and has about 35 of the remainder under 
good cultivation. In the summer of 1883 he built 
a modern residence, which will compare favorably 
with any in the township. 

Aug. 29, 1870, in Clinton Co., Mich., Mr. H. was 
married to Miss Anna, daughter of John J. and Cath- 
erine (Miller) Schafer, who were natives of Germany. 
Mrs. H. was born in the above county, Aug. 15, 1854. 
The children in this family now are, Tracey, William, 
Eda C. and I^awrence G. ; Catherine, AUie and an 
infant are deceased. The parents are members of 
the German Catholic Church, and Mr. H. in political 
views is independent. 



terling A. Hursh is a farmer on section 17 

^ of Wise Township, and was born in Clyde, 

i?^^ Wayne Co., N. Y., May 25, 1849. His 
parents, John M. and Elizabeth (Brown) 
Hursh, were born respectively in Steuben and 
Chenango Cos., N. Y. Later in life they came 
to Michigan and settled in Isabella County. The 
father died in November, 1877, in Loomis. The 
mother is a resident of Mt. Pleasant. 

Mr. Hursh accom[)anied his parents to the Penin- 
sular State when but seven years of age. He passed 
the years of his life previously to the age of 20 years 



i\i<jr^tS^ 



^ii^ 



<>Illl^IlDr> 



^ 



^§1 



1 



t 



336 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"5s!syi*tsr 



in attendance at the common schools and engaged 
in farming. At the age named he became salesman 
in a store at Mt. Pleasant, where he remained a year, 
after which he worked some time in the woods. In 
the fall of 187 I he opened a country store at Loomis, 
in partnership with his father, and continued its 
management until the summer of 1875, when he 
went to Fentonville, Genesee Co., Mich., where he 
engaged 18 months in the hotel business, after which 
he sold trees about six months. In the spring of 
1877 he returned to Loomis, and was engaged in the 
woods chiefly until 1881, when he bought 120 acres 
of wild land on sections 17 and 18 of Wise Town- 
ship. On this he has since lived and pushed the 
work of clearing and improving. He has placed 30 
acres under improvements, and has it all in tillage. 
In politics Mr. Hursh is a Republican, and has been 
active in the public welfare of Wise Township since 
its organization. He held the position of Township 
Treasurer one year. 

He was married at Loomis, Dec. 25, 1873, to Alice 
G., daughter of James and Charlotte (Bailey) Tubbs. 
(See sketch of James Tubbs.) She was born June 
21, 1853, in Grand Blanc, Genesee Co., Mich. Of 
this marriage four children have been born, one of 
whom survives, — James. Eddie L. died when 
three years old and two children died in infancy. 



ff§(Ji!illiam Horan, lumbeunan, section 16, 
Denver Township, is a son of Michael 
'!/■ — and Rosanna (Donahue) Horan, natives 
l> of Ireland. The parents came from the 
Emerald Isle when quite young, and were 
married and settled in the Dominion of Canada, 
where he died, in September, 1881. She survives. 

The subject of this biography was born in Canada, 
Feb. 26, 1850, and lived in the Dominion until 20 
years old, engaged in farming. He then went South, 
where he spent two years in different places. He 
then lived a year and a half at Marquette, Michigan, 
and in 1875 came to this county and bought 80 acres 
in Vernon Township, which he still cultivates. He 
has 60 acres nicely improved. In the fall of 1883 he 
removed to Denver Township and bought a saw-mill, 
which has a capacity of 12,000 feet daily, and em- 
ploys seven men. 



WiNi^^^^ 







r 



<Mtin:^tlIli> 



-V:; 



He was married at Mt. Pleasant, May 31, 1876,10 
Margaret, daughter of Cornelius and Ellen Bogan, 
natives of Ireland. Mrs. Horan was born in Wash- 
tenaw Co., Mich., Dec. 8, 1858, and is the mother of 
four children, — Rose E., Vincent L., Mary, and one V> 
yet unnamed. 

Mr. H. has been School Inspector in Vernon 
Township two years, and is politically a supporter of 
the Democratic party. 



ohn Kinney, resident in Clyde Township, 
^ St. Clair Co., Mich., was born Oct. 13, 1837, 
in the township where he now lives. He 
is a so\i of Arnold and Laura M. (Babcock) 
Kinney. The father was born in 1804, in the 
State of New York and spent his life in agri- 
culture and lumbering. He came to Clyde Town- 
ship in 1828, and was among the first of the pioneer 
settlers of that section of Michigan. His wife fol- 
lo5ved him in 1830. She was born in Bath, Steuben 
Co., N. v., in i8ro and died in Clyde, March 9, 
1849. Their family comprised seven children, as 
follows : Daniel, a carpenter at Grand Rapids; 
George, who died in infancy ; John, of this sketch ; 
Charles, deceased ; Francis, living on the home- 
stead in Clyde Township; Chester, a resident of Port 
Huron, Mich.; Laura, deceased. She married Wil- 
liam Gardner, a farmer of Clyde Township. Two 
children survive her. Mr. Arnold Kinney died Dec. 
8, 1872. 

Mr. Kinney, of this sketch, was reared on his fa- 
ther's farm and trained to the same pursuits. At 
the age of 12 years he became a valuable assistant in 
the lumber interests of his father, commencing his 
career as a lumberman by driving the teams in the 
woods, and pursuing the business on their own ex- 
tensive tracts of timber land. He began life on his 
own responsibility when he was 20 years old and 
spent the winters of 1860-1 and 1861-2 in lumber- 
ing in his native township. In the fall of 1863 he 
came to Mt. Pleasant, where his father had, in 1854, 
bought 320 acres of land, and on this he spent two 
winters securing the lumber in part. The land is 
now included in the east part of Mt. Pleasant, with- 
in the village corporation. In 1865 he returned to 
his home in Clyde Township, which he purchased in 



(5 






(^ 



I 

I, 






♦/ 




. cxI. 







>:; 



v 



^ 



^ 



I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'";i^^isr 



4^^^(®vS 



339 



1858. It included 1 10 acres of land and was partly 
improved. He sold the place about the year 1867, 
and a year later purchased 160 acres on section four, 
in the same township, in which he has since resided. 
It had been improved to a limited extent. It is now' 
in a state of advanced improvement and under the 
best type of cultivation, with 100 acres in tillage and 
supplied with creditable and valuable farm fixtures. 
The buildings are of the best order and the or- 
chards contain fine assortments of fruit. He is the 
proprietor of two farms situated respectively at Clyde 
Center and on section 22 in the same township. The 
first contains 130 acres, with 40 acres cleared, on which 
is located the Custer House, under the control of 
Jerry Dorsey. The second has 160 acres, with 40 
acres under culture. He also owns 40 acres of land 
adjoining Mt. Pleasant village and 100 lots within 
the corporation and situated on Kinney's Addition. 
He holds, besides, a half interest in lands in Wise 
Township, which includes a claim of 1,000 acres of 
wild land. 

Mr. Kinney is at present pushing his lumber in- 
terests in Cummings Township, Oscoda County, 
where he was similariy engaged in 1883. He em- 
ploys a working force which includes about a score 
of assistants. 

He is intimately connected with the history of the 
village of Mt. Pleasant. He opened the first regu- 
lar bona-fide store in 1864, by buying a stock of 
goods of Henry Dunton, who was selling them from 
his house. John Carter constructed a building, 
which Mr. Kinney rented and utilized as a store. 
He continued the management of the enterprise 
from the spring of 1864 until the spring of 1865, 
hauling his goods from Saginaw with a four-ox team. 
He became Postmaster Jan. i, 1864, and officiated 
in that capacity until Marcli i, 1865: When he as- 
sumed the position, the office had just been removed 
from a point two miles south of Mt. Pleasant, on 
" Blunt." 

Mr. Kinney belongs to the National Greenback 
party in ]..olitical affiliation. He served as Town- 
ship Treasurer of Clyde in the years of 1874-5-6 
and lias officiated in most of the local school offices. 
He has taken an active and sul)stantial interest in the 
educational affairs of his native township. He was 
nominated in 1878 for County Treasurer on the Na- 
tional ticket and again in 1880, but failed to secure 



the election in both instances. In 1881 (spring) he 
was nominated for Congressman, to fill the vacancy 
created by the resignation of O. D. Conger, running 
against Cyrenus B. Black, Democratic nominee, and 
John T. Rich, Republican candidate. His party 
claimed the election through mistake by the op[)o- 
sition, but he made no effort to secure the position. 
In 1882 he was nominated for Representative on the 
Fusion ticket and made the canvass against Edward 
Vincent. He refused to have his name used, but he 
was ])laced in nomination despite his protest, and 
making no special effort, he was defeated Ijy only 
about 100 votes. 

Mr. Kinney was married July 31, 1858, in Clyde, 
to Margaret W. Atkins. She was born Sept. 14, 1838, 
in Glasgow, Scodand. The five children of Mr. and 
Mrs. Kinney were born as follows : Arnold, July, 3, 
i860; Nettie, Nov. 10, 1862; Laura, April 22, 1865 ; 
Bertha L., Sept. 9, 1867 ; Marion, Feb. 12, 1872. 



MsM. 



''Iv^ >- ^- Letson, farmer, blacksmith and mer- 
Ji^ffllC chant, section 22, Coldwater Township, 
•| fe was born July 8, 1842, near Norwalk, 
* j'jv;, Huron Co., Ohio. He is a son of Freeborn 
\]\ and Esther (Rounds) Letson. His father was 
I born in Rhode Island. His mother was a 
native of New York. Both parents died in Cold- 
water, Branch Co., Mich. They emigrated to St. 
Joseph Co., Mich., in 1855, where the fatlier pur- 
chased an improved farm. 

Mr. Letson found himself the master of his own 
fortunes at the age of 18, and went to work in an ax 
factory, where he spent two years. He then engaged 
as a farm assistant, working by the month for two 
years, when he bought 20 acres of land about two 
miles from the city of Coldwater, in Branch Co., 
Mich. The entire tract was in timber, which he 
converted into fuel and sold in the city. When this 
was accomplished he went to Houghton Lake, and, 
in company with a partner, Frank Sixbey, spent five 
months in trapping and hunting, taking bear, marten, 
beaver, otter, fishers and wolves. At the close of 
the season, they took an Indian canoe and carried 
their furs to Muskegon, 300 miles distant. Their 
labors netted them $i;oo each, but were attended 



C); 
5 



4 



'^"^s^hi 



■^.'WM^^^. — ^^^S^ 



^^^««l 



t 

i 



/* 340 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 



'^"S^S^ 



% 



<h 






>: 



V 

('J 



i 



with some inconveniences and privations, the sever- 
est of which was their entire removal from the society 
of white men. 

Mr. Letson ne.xt spent a summer in the West, visit- 
ing Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas, 
after which he spent two or three months in Fulton 
Co., Ohio. He then came to White Pigeon, Mich., 
where he rented a farm for two years, after which he 
came to Isabella Co., Mich. During his stay at the 
former place, he enlisted, Aug. 29, 1864, in the 14th 
Michigan Battery. The command was assigned to 
the 2 2d Army Corps under Gen. Hitchcock. They 
were first sent to Nashville, Tenn., where they re- 
mained two months, after which the battery was 
stationed at Fort Greble on the Potomac to guard 
the National Capital. Mr. Letson was mustered out 
July I, 1865, and came to Isabella County in 1866, 
reaching Mt. Pleasant on the 17th of June. On the 
day following, he took possession of the farm on 
which he has since lived. He remained three days, 
clearing out underbrush, driving stakes for his house 
and cutting timber. He then went back to some old 
cabins on the Chippewa River, known as Ward's shan- 
ties. Soon after he starled for St. John's, Clinton 
County, going thence to Ionia to the land office, 
where he made the first entry on his land, homestead- 
ing 80 acres. He bought of the State 80 acres in 
addition, and to this he has since added 40 acres 
more. His farm now includes 140 acres of cleared 
land. Mr. Letson is one of the first settlers in Cold- 
water Townsliip, and has been one of its most valu- 
able and substantial citizens. 

He was married Feb. 27, r866, to Anna Elizabeth, 
daughter of Carmi and Mary Ann (Willett) Hammond. 
She was born Dec. 7, 1848, in Clinton Co., Mich. 
Her mother died Feb. 21, 1876, near St. John's, Clin- 
ton Countv, and her father died July 9, 1883, in 
Coldwater, at tlie residence of her son, Cornelius 
Hammond. Following is the record of the eleven 
children that have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Let- 
son : Orrin D., born Dec. 7, 1866 (died May 15, 
1875); Oliver A., Aug. 21, 1868 (died May 13, 1875); 
Burt M., Sept. it, 1869; Mjrtie B., Sept ii, 1869 
(died May 20, 1875); Mary S., Oct. 13, 1871 (died 
July 28, 1872); Mira, Oct. 13, 1871 (died Oct. 31, 
following); Nonia, born Oct. 13, 1871 (died the day 
of her birth); Loren S., Jan. 6, 1875 (died May 25, 
1875); Cora B., Dec. 16, 1876; Hamilton L., March 
30, 1880; Tena, April 16, 1882. 




The portrait of Mr. Letson will doubtless be wel- 
comed in the gallery of this Albu.vi by the public 
and accordingly it appears, on the page facing the 

commencement of this sketch. 



j^i;fer(iJl ohn Block, farmer on section 36, Nottawa, 
yli^^C •'' a son of Frederick and Mary (Florep) 
|iv?'^ Block, and of German descent. The father 
-f^ died in Mecklenburg, Germany, and the mother 
%F in Mt. Pleasant, this county. 

I He was born Jan. 18, 1836, in Mecklenburg, 

Germany, and, residing with his parents until of age, 
he then came to the United States. He was first 
employed for six months in a stone quarry in Buffalo, 
N, Y. He then worked on farms by the month until 
the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in the 
78th N. Y. Vol. Inf. He participated in the battles 
of the Shenandoah Valley, under Gen. Banks, Win- 
chester, Cedar Creek, Cross Keys, Chancellorsvillej 
Cedar Mountain, second Bull Run, Gettysburg and 
Antietam. At Gettysburg he was wounded in the 
third day's fight, a piece of a shell breaking his left 
foot. He was in field hospital seven days, and then 
transferred to the hospital at Bedloe's Island, N. Y., 
where he remained until the corps was transferred to 
the Western Department under Hooker. He rejoined 
his command at Alexandria; was in the engagements 
of Missionary Ridge and Sherman's march to the 
sea, and at Chattanooga. He marched under Sher- 
man until the surrender of Gen. Johnston. His regi- 
ment was the first to enter Atlanta and the first in 
Savannah. 

He was mustered out at Alexandria, Va., then 
lived in Erie Co., N. Y., one year, engaged in farm- 
ing. Coming to Livingston County, this State, he 
bought a farm of 62 acres, and there lived for four 
years. March i, 1870, he arrived in Isabella County. 
Here he first followed teaming for six months. He 
rented 40 acres of land, but owing to ill health he 
abandoned for a lime the idea of farming, and went 
into the restaurant business. He erected a suitable 
building at Mt. Pleasant, and sold liquor and refresh- 
ments for a year. Selling out, he bought a farm 01 
160 acres in Union Township, which he cultivated 
five years. He then exchanged for his present faim 
of 80 acres, 65 of which are improved. 



y^ 



C 



4^^f<^i 



m 



#- 



■^VC>I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^^^C^ 



4^^f(®V^ 



341 






V 

J 



-^ 






He was married Sept. 23, 1865, in Amherst, Erie 
Co., N. Y., to Catherine Gardner, daughter of Charles 
and Sophia (Wetherhold) Gardner. She was horn 
July 17, 1S46. Three children have been added to 
the family circle: Henry Charles, born in Amherst, 
Erie Co., N. Y., July "15, 1866; Frederick Emery, 
born in Livingston Co., Mich., July 11, 1868; and 
Anna Catherine, born in Mt. Pleasant, this county, 
April 14, 1870. 

Mr. B. is politically independent, but has hereto- 
fore been a Democrat. 



k§,[^'nios D. Mattison, retired farmer, residing 
on section 9, Lincoln Township, was born 
,:r,|"v-j2/ in Monroe Co., N. Y., Dec. 28, 18 19. His 
'••isA father, Michael, was a native of that State, of" 
•■'' English parentage and a farmer by occupation, 
and is yet living, at the venerable age of 91 
years, in Genesee County, this state. His mother, 
Martha (Arnold) Mattison, was a native of New 
England and a grandchild of Capt. Stephen Arnold, 
of Revolutionary fame. She died in 1871, in Lig- 
ham County, this State, aged 75 years. 

In 1832 Mr. M. accoinpanied his parents from 
New York to Livingston County, this State, and they 
were among the first settlers in Green Oak Township, 
that county. The parents remained in Livingston 
County until 1840, when they removed to Ingham 
County, and were also among the first settleis in that 
county. They experienced all the trials of the pio- 
neer's life and battled against the vicissitudes of the 
same with earnest determination. 

Amos D. remained under the parental roof-tree, 
in Livingston and Ingham Counties, assisting the 
struggling family in the improvement of their home, 
and developed into manhood. 

One year after his parents removed to Ingham 
County, Mr. M. embarked in the flouring-mill busi- 
ness, which he followed with success until 1865. He 
then came to this county and purchased 220 acres of 
land on section 9, Lincoln Township. He subse- 
(juently dis])osed of 100 acres and has placed 85 
acres of the remainder under good cultivation. 

Mr. Mattison was united in marriage, Aug. 30, 
1855, to Miss Abbie E Stokes, daughter of Isaiah 
M. and Elizabeth (Stranahan) Stokes, natives of 



England and New York respectively. They are 
both deceased, the father dying in Minnesota and 
the liiother in Ohio. 

Abbie E. was born in Clinton Co., N. Y., June 10, 
1827. She accompanied her parents to Ohio when 
12 years of age, and when 26 years old came to this 
State. Her education was received in Nelson Col- 
lege, Portage Co., Ohio. At the age of 15 years Mrs. 
M. entered on the profession of a teacher and con- 
tinued the same with credit and success until 1873. 
She taught the first school in District No. 6, Lincoln 
Township. 

Mr. and Mrs. M. are the parents of two children: 
Ellen A., who was born A])ril 13, 1857, died Feb. 
19, 1883, at her home in Lincoln Township. She 
was married in this county, Nov. 24, 1873, to Samuel 
D. Kyser, born July 29, 1847, in Ohio. He came to 
this State in 1866. They are the parents of two 
children, — Jenny S., born Jan. 28, 1874, and Forest 
D., born Nov. 17, 1876. 

Katie S. Mattison, second daughter of Mr. and 
Mrs. M., was born Oct. 6, i86i, and now is at home. 
She is a teacher by profession, having entered on the 
same at the age of 15 years. 

Mr. Mattison, politically, is a staunch Democrat. 
He has held the office of Supervisor and other minor 
offices in the township. 



4i'K^[ rs. Celia W. Taylor, M. D., physician and 
-.! E^<li£i . druggist at Loomis, Wise Township, was 
fii^;^''" born atNorthbridge, Mass., July 17, 1856. 
jh^'''^'\ She is the daugliter of Paul W. and Miriam 
jT S. (Coon) Williams. Her parents were natives 
I respectively of Massachusetts and Connecticut 
and her father died Feb. 5, 1884. Her mother is 
still living, with her. 

The parents of Mrs. Taylor came to Michigan when 
she was quite young, and she received her early ed- 
ucation mostly at East Saginaw. In 1878 she be- 
came a student at the University of Michigan at Ann 
Arbor, and was graduated in the Medical Depart- 
ment, July I, 1880. She had read medicine to some 
extent, but had been obliged to suspend assiduous 
attention to it from a threatened disease of the e\es. 



i 



e' 






A 



■=>; 






H>^ 





V^!lltl^IlD^> 



"T" 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



2) 



a 



r 




In 1876 she resumed her studies in that direction, 
reading under the directions of several different phy- 
sicians. After graduation, she at once entered uix)n 
Ijer practice. She lived five months at Fentonville, 
Genesee Co., Mich., and, with that exception, she has 
continued in her profession at Loomis to the present 
time. In the spring of 1883 she bought a stock of 
drugs and has a considerable business in that line, 
in addition to the duties of her profession. In Jan- 
uary, 1883, she was appointed District Physician, and 
she is the present Physician of the Board of Health 
at Loomis. Slie is widely known as a skillful and 
successful practitioner, and has a large and increasing 
practice. 



eorge E. Dawson, of the firm of Feighner 
& Dawson, merchants at Clare, was born 
in Genesee Co., N. Y., March 14, 1853. 
Four years later the family came to Ingham 
County, this State, where he lived until 17 
years old, attending school mos\ of the time. 
At that time he came to Isabella County, where he 
worked in the lumber woods for 1 1 years. In the 
spring of 1880 he made his present location at Clare, 
where he is doing a growing business, now of $10,000 
annually, in the sale of meats. 

He was married April 17, 1882, in Barry County, 
this State, to Miss Carrie Jones, a native of that 
county. One child, Ora, has been added to the fam- 
ily circle, born Nov. 12, 1883. Politically, Mr. Daw- 
son is a Democrat. 



K*af eorge C. Faulkner, dealer in general hard- 
ware, etc., at Mt. Pleasant, was born Oct. 
19, 1854, in Toronto, Can. His parents, 
Isaiah and Mary (Clark) Faulkner, belonged 
to the agricultural class in the Dominion of 
Canada. His father was a native of Ireland 
and emigrated to America when he was but a lad. 
In 1859 he removed with his family to Lockport, N. 
Y., where he resided a year and went thence to Nor- 
<ri> walk, Ohio. A year later he made another move, to 
(® Bellevue in the Buckeye State. After a residence 
7" there of four years, he went to Hillsdale, Mich., and 



t 
I 







after a short stay proceeded to Hudson, Lenawee 
County, where he remained during the last years of 
his life. The mother also died in Hudson. 

When Mr. Faulkner was 20 years old he deter- 
mined to change his vocation, and turn his attention \^ 
from farming to other business. He accordingly 
went to Adrian, when he entered the tin shop of R. 
L. Bate, and passed three years in learning the trade. 
He came to Mt. Plea-.ant July 21, 1876, where he 
operated four years in the tin siiop of L. N. Smith. 
In 18S0 he established himself in tlie business in 
which he is now engaged, associated with Frank 
Patterson, under the firm style of Faulkner & Patter- 
son. The relation continued 18 months, since which 
Mr. Faulkner has done business singly. He changed 
his location June i, 1881, removing to the building 
he has since occupied. His stock is estimated at 
$5,000 in value and comprises general hardware, 
stoves, tinware, paints, oils, glass, steel goods, etc. A 
repair shop is connected with his establishment and 
he is doing a good job business. His trade requires 
the aid of two assistants. He built in 1882 a fine 
residence, the ground of which include two lots. 

Mr.* Faulkner was married at Ovid, Clinton Co., 
Mich., June 6, 1882, to Annie Denison. She was 
born June 26, 1861, near that place, and is the 
daughter of Jared and Fannie Denison. Fannie, 
only child, was born June 10, 1883, at Mt. Pleasant. 






>. 



Si/ 



Kffiabesley Ellis, farmer, section 31, Cold water 
'^ " 9 Townsliip, was born Jan. 11, 1833, in Pike, 
I^K^P Wyoming Co., N. Y. He is a son of John 
^ and Lany (Helmer) Ellis. His father was 
born Aug. 22, 1808, and died Oct. 19, 1867 ; 
his mother was born Feb. 3, 18 10, and died 
March 22, 1881. 

On leaving home wlien he attained his majority, Mr. 
Ellis became a farm assistant, working by the month 
for five years in the same employment. He enlisted 
May 15, 1861, in Co. F, 33d N. Y. Vol. Inf., and was 
mustered out June 22, 1863. He re-enlisted in 
September. 1864, in the 25th N. Y. Independent 
Battery. He was in the battles of Lee's Mills, VVil- 
liamsburg, Mech.micsville, White Oak Swamp, Mal- 
vern Hill, .\iUietam, Fredericksburg (first and second) 
and South Mountain. During his period of enlistment 



r 



^ 



t?i^' 



5^ni]f>=^ 



A- 







TZjfer^ 



'^) 



^ 



/\ 



'<■ 



V 



; 



^ 






.rti^>ilti>:iinv>T— 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-TH. 



343 



he was slightly ill and was sent to the general hospi- 
tal, when he ran away, and, after two days' travel 
and two nights' camping out, he caught up with his 
regiment. The date of this escapade was when 
Burnside took command after the battle of Antietam, 
subsequent to crossing the Potomac. The battery 
did garrison duty at Brashear City and at New 
Orleans, but was in no active engagements. 

On his return to his home in Wyoming County 
after he was discharged, he engaged in farming in 
/ connection with his brother, on a farm which they 
I owned together. A year later he sold out to his 
;a brother and came to Stanton, Montcalm Co., Mich., 
where he remained two years at work in shingle and 
saw mills. March r, 1879, he came to Isabella 
County and wrote to his brother Frank, who joined 
him here, and together they bought 120 acres of land 
on which they have since resided. Mr. Ellis owns 
80 acres of the original tract, and has 50 acres im- 
proved. He is a Republican in politics and has 
served one year as Supervisor of Sherman Town- 
ship. 

Mr. Ellis was first married Dec. 24, 1866, to Jean- 
nette Phelps, of Wyoming Co., N. Y. Mr. Ellis was 
a second time married Nov. 19, 1878, to Arvilla, 
daughter of Obadiah and Abigail (Fay) Russell. 
There have been no children by either marriage. 



%^m^<^^ 




\ obert Neelands, farmer on section 11, Not- 
tawa Township, is a son of Andrew and 
Jane (Howey) Neelands, both natives of 
V\wf Ireland. The father now lives in Canada, 
where the mother died, in December, 1864. 
Their son Robert was born in Ontario, Can., 
Dec. 4, 1855, and lived with his parents on the farm 
until he came to man's estate. He then, at the age 
of 22, came to this county, about the first of April, 
1878. For the ensuing year and a half, he worked 
by the month at farming, and then he passed a winter 
in Canada, and then he located permanently in Isa- 
bella County. He worked by the month for three 
years more, and then settled on his farm of 40 acres, 
purchased in the fall of 1 880. He has 25 acres 
improved. 
V*) He was married Dec. 20, 1882, to Annis M. Har- 

7» risoii, daughter of John D. and Almira R. (Frazier) 




Harrison. The parents are of English and Canadian 
ancestry, respectively, and are residents of Isabella 
County. Mr. and Mrs. N. are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. He is in political sentiment 
a Republican, and has been School Treasurer of his 
district. 



j^onathan Tanner, farmer, section 32, Cold- 
water Township, was born SepL 27, 1841 
in Ontario, Canada, and is the son of James 
and Sarah (Sumner) Tanner. His parents are 
natives of England, and are both living in 
Coldwater Township. Their family includes 
13 children, three daughters and ten sons. 

Mr. Tanner was bound out by his parents when 
he was seven years old, but ran away before the ter- 
mination of the first year of his indenture, because 
of ill usage. He spent the period of his minority in 
working out by the day, month or year, and when he 
was 21 years -of age he rented a farm, which he man- 
aged two years, after which he again became a day 
laborer, and was thus employed two years, except 
when his daily time and strength were absorbed by 
the ague, which he had in one of its severest forms 
In i866 he came to Isabella County and entered a 
homestead claim of 80 acres, on which he has since 
resided. He has since increased his landed posses- 
sions by the purchase of 40 acres additional. 

The experiences of the family in the early dajs of 
their settlement were those common to all the pio- 
neers of this section, but now and then an incident 
occurred which was out of the common order of 
things. The family of Mr. Tanner occupied a shanty, 
and at the time referred to, it was also occupied by a 
neighbor, pending the erection of her home. Mr. 
Tanner was felling a tree in the vicinity. The wind 
was blowing hard and caused the tree to take an un- 
expected direction toward the shanty. He called to 
his wife to fly with the children. She caught up one 
child and the other woman seized two others and 
ran. The tree fell and Mrs. Tanner was caught be- 
tween the branches. She was slightly injured in the 
shoulder and the child was so much hurt that he lay 
unconscious three da s and three nights. There was 
no physician nearer than Mt. Pleasant, and Mr. Tan- 
ner ran to the home of a neighbor — James Johnson— 



e 



A 



■>' 






^Ddr^V^- 



(o-> 






m 




^^^ 



■:2!ii%^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



m^ 



If) 
I 
f 






^ 



who hastened to Mr. Brubaker, three and a half 
miles distant, the latter having a set of medical books 
and an assortment of medicines. The child showed 
no signs of life for two hours, and medicine was 
forced through his clinched teeth. He was ill for a 
year, but finally recovered. 

Mr. Tanner is independent in political faith and 
action. He has served four years as Highway Com- 
missioner, and one year as Constable. 

He was married Jan. 15, 1863, to Mary Ann, 
daughter of John and Charlotte (Edwards) Boughen. 
The father died in Canada in 1872, and the mother 
resides at Mt. Pleasant. Both were English by birth. 
Mrs. Tanner is one of ten children born to her par- 
ents, — two sons and eight daughters. The record of 
the children of Mr. and Mrs. Tanner is as follows: 
Ernest Albert was born Feb. 21, 1866; William 
James, Feb. 16, 1864 (died Oct. 3, 1865); Minnie 
Jane, July 15, 1869; Anna Maria, June 22, 1872; 
Melvin Jolin, May 28, 1875; Chadotte Laura, Feb. 
16, 1877; Martha Augusta, March 29, 1879; Elmer, 
March 15, 1881 (died April 3, 1881). 




-4-<^.4=4">is-^>" 



lllndrew J. Miller, farmer on section 7, Pol- 
===^ land Township, is a son of Barnett and 
Margaret (Nusebaum) Miller. His father was 
born in the year 1834, in Tuscarawas Co., 
Ohio; his mother was born in Ohio in 1836 
and died in November, t866. Mr. Miller, sen- 
ior, was a farmer in Ohio until i860, when he re- 
moved to Indiana. After a time hereturr.ed to Ohio, 
and now resides in Defiance County. He had by his 
first marriage nine children, and by his second three. 
'I'he subject of this biography was born Nov. 24, 
1851, in Tuscarawas Co., Ohio, and lived with his 
parents until 15 years old. Losing his mother at 
that age, he went out to battle with the world and 
worked by the month for three years. He then came 
to Micliigan and worked for three winters. In the 
spring of 1874 he came to Isabella County, was mar- 
ried and located on a farm of J i g}4 acres. He has 
60 acres nicely improved. 

His wife's maiden name was Libbie Pratt. She 
was born Aug. 1, 1858, in Montcalm Co., Mich. Her 
parents, Nathan and Charlotte Pratt, followed farm- 




ing. The father was a soldier for the Union in the 



late war, fell at Chattanooga and is buried in the 
National Cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Miller are the par- 
ents of two children, — Lawrence B., born May 17, 
1874, and Alice E., born Nov. 24, 1881. The par- 
ents are members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. 
Mr. Miller has been Moderator of his school district 
two terms. Politically, he is a Democrat. 



esse H. Jordan, farmer on section 30, Den- 
f ver Township, is a son of William and 
Mary (Garlock) Jordan. His parents were 
born, married and for a time afterwards lived in 
1^ Cherry Valley, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. They 

\ moved thence to Schuyler County, where the 
father died. The mother afterwards removed to 
Allegany Co., N. Y., her present home. Their family 
of eight were named Julia, Catherine, William, Lu- 
cinda, Jesse H., Andrew, Charles A. and Norman. 

The subject of this biography was born in Schuyler 
Co., N. Y., Nov. 9, 1826, and alternately attended 
school and worked on his father's farm. Leaving the 
paternal roof at the age of 20, he worked out fur 
three years, af er which he bought a farm of 50 acres 
in Schuyler County, which he carried on for three 
years. He continued at farming until the spring of 
1865, when he came to Ionia Couilty and bought 80 
acres of partly improved land. A year later he sold, 
and bought another farm in the same county, which, 
after seven years, he traded for an So-acre farm in 
Clinton County. He lived there three years, when, 
disposing of his Clinton County property, he came, in 
November, 1878, to Isabella County and bought 160 
acres of wild land in Denver Township, where he has 
since lived. He has disposed of half his land, and 
of the remainder 70 acres are improved. Soon after 
settling in this county, he built a good farm house, 
which he now occupies. 

He was first married in Yates ("o., N. Y., Dec. 27, 
1848, to Matilda, daughter of James A. Swarthout. 
The father was a native of New York State, and the 
daughter was born in Yates County, Oct. 9, 1829. 
Of this marriage five children were born, — James 
(died when four years old), Alice H., Charles M. 
(died Sept. g, 1880), Wellington A. and Franklin O. 
His wife died in Denver Township, this county, Sept. 
12, 1880, and he was again married, March 14, 1881, 



J 



*^ 



A 



C< 






c 



.A. 



4*^5f®A; 



I 



#' 



4 



;#*- 



■^rv 



<>mi^iiii^> 



V 






^ 



i 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^5(©V^ 



34S 




to Sophia R., daughter of Conrad and Elsie G. 
(Reeves) Young, and widow of E. G. Battles, who 
died Dec. 23, 1873, leaving three children, — Ida (i., 
Elsie A and Minnie N. The first and last of these 
three are deceased. Mrs. Jordan was born in Seneca 
Co., N. Y., Aug 4, 1839. 

Mr. J. has been Township Treasurer two years. 
Justice of the Peace four years, and in the fall of 
1883 was elected Coroner, which office he now holds. 
He is also Deacon of the Baptist Church, which was 
organized in Denver Township in May, 1879. Mrs. 
J. is a member of the Methodist Episco[)al Church. 
Mr. Jordan votes the Republican ticket. 



sff^Jipenjainin A. Cohoon, farmer on section 19, 
s Coe Township, is a son of Lidick and 
Martha (Pickard) Cohoon, natives of the 
State of New York. The parents came to 
Jackson Co., Mich., in 1847, where she died. 
He remained there until the spring of 1861 
and then came to Isabella County, where he now 
resides. 

The subject of this narrative was born in Onon- 
daga Co., N. Y., Aug. 10, 1837, and was 10 years old 
when his parents came to Michigan. Remaining with 
his father until 23 years of age, he then worked at lum- 
bering on the Muskegon River for eight months. Sept. 
9, 1861, he enlisted in the Eighth Mich. Vol. Inf, 
and served until June 13, 1866, at which time he 
was discharged. He was captured at the battle of 
Secession ville, on James Island, June 16, 1862, and 
was kept a prisoner for four months. He was again 
taken, Aug. 6, 1864, at the battle of the Wilderness, 
and he was not released until March i, 1865. Dur- 
ing his first incarceration, he was for a few days in 
the Libby, but spent most of the time at Columbia, 
S. C. The second time, he was at Danville, Va., 
Andersonville, Ga. (five months) and Florence, S. C. 
Returning from the service, he settled in 1867 on 
80 acres on section 19, Coe Township, which he had 
bought the year previous, and on which he now re- 
sides, with about 45 acres under cultivation. He 
was married in Jackson County, June 17, 1867, to 
Eudora, daughter of William and Lydia (Page) Gal- 
lap, natives of the State of New York. Mrs. C. was 
born in Jackson County, Dec. 29, 1842, and has been 
the mother of eight children, six of whom survive: 




Leonora, Ransom M., Lillian E., Mabel, Henrietta 
L. and Cora E. The other two died in infancy. 

Mr. C. has been School Director for two years and 
Pathniaster. He is a member of Ralph Ely Post, 
No. 150, G. A. R., and is politically a Republican. 



^f Mlljharles B. Shaver, Superintendent for A. 
1£ B. Long & Son, at Blancliard, is a son of 
John and Mary (Rose) Shaver, natives re- 
spectively of New York and Delaware. His 
father was born in Delaware Co., N. Y., in 
1826, and has followed lumbering most of his 
life. His mother was born in 183 1. They came to 
this State in 1870, locating in Emerson Township, 
Gratiot County. They afterwards removed to St. 
Louis, where they yet reside. 

Their son Charles was born .Aug. 7, 1855, in Steu- 
ben Co., N. Y., and lived with his parents until 16 
years old, when he commenced work in a mill in 
Gratiot County. He was afterwards for a time in the 
employ of Whitney & Stinchfield, as a foreman. He 
then came to Blanchard for A. B. Long & Son, of 
Grand Rapids. 

He was married Dec. 6, 1883, to Miss Lena A. 
Roberts, who was born May 2, 1864, the daughter of 
\i. D. and Ora A. (Pierson) Roberts. The parents 
were born in Bangor, Me., in 1822 and 1836, re- 
spectively. The father has followed lumbering much 
of his life and now lives in Mecosta County. Mrs. 
Shaver is the third daughter in a family of two sons 
and three daughters, all of whom are now living. 

Politically, Mr. S. is a Republican. 



-<i 



A A 



=ES- 



?M eorge Miller, farmer on section 9, Coe 
^^1^ Township, residing at Salt River, was born 
_Jt ^ in Ontario Co., N. Y., Oct. 23, 1816. His 
^ father, a lawyer, died when George was about 
six months old. His mother married again, 
and lived at Port Huron until her death. He 
was the only child of his father, and was bound out 
to a man by the name of Robert Purchase, in his 
native county. It was agreed that he should have 
his board, clothes and schooling, and $100 when he 






0) 



^^^^f 



■^\ 



\<y^ 



-^^i?^ 



^im^^^j^ 




©7^^C£#^ 



^iJ^ixB-"^" 



^^ 



r>-r 



■:2rTiariiSr 






1=3 



^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY 



should become of age ; which contract was faithfully 
performed. 

He then came to Micliigan and lived for several 
years in Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties, buying his 
first farm in the latter for $1.25 per acre. He came 
to Isabella County in 1854 and bought 320 acres of 
Government land at 50 cents per acre, and has since 
resided in this county. He now owns 160 acres of 
land, including village property, 100 acres being 
nicely improved. He built the first steam mill m this 
county, selling the same afterwards for $5,000. 

He was married in Ionia Co., Mich., in October, 
1854, to Mary, daughter of Peter and Margaret Chaf- 
fin, natives of the State of New York. Mrs. Miller 
was also born in the Empire State, 1834. She and 
her husband have been the parents of nine children, 
eight of whom survive: Wm. O., James W., Flora, 
Emeline, Margaret C. (died in April, 1883), Betsey, 
Josephine, Blanch and Katie. 

Mr. M. was one of the first School Inspectors of his 
township. He has since invariably declined officesi 
on account of the demands of his private business. 
Politically, he supports the Democratic party. He 
and his sons keep some fine blooded stock, and own 
the well-known stallion "Sunburst." 

About 1859, during the hard times, Mr. M. bor- 
rowed a large sum of money at Saginaw, paying 25 
per cent interest, by means of which many were 
kept from suffering. He employed deserving men to 
work for him, paying them in provisions, which he 
bought with tiie borrowed money, and making no 
profit on the cost of the same. 



T,C|„ dwin S. Crowley, farmer on section 32, 
\^ Union Township, is a son of Lyman and 

' hSi Clarissa (Crook) Crowley, and was born 

^S, near Wales, Erie Co., N. Y., Oct. 22, 1837. He 
lived on his father's farm until 19 years of age, 
and then learned the carpenter's trade, at which 
he worked a portion of the time for ten years. 
^ In the s[)ring of 1859 he went to Black Hawk Co., 

•■ '? Iowa, where he followed his trade and also worked a 
■•. farm of 40 acres, which he purchased. He was there 
^ married, March 16, 1864, to Miss Leah French, a na- 
^i) live of England. She died Feb. 28, 1865, leaving a 
V, son, Orrie, born the same day. He came to Union 

'(&A ^):^«^^^ L -•^:':- — ^^^tld; 




Township, this county, in September, 1866, and 
bought 80 acres where Charles Stirling now resides. 
After clearing about 55 acres and making other im- 
provements, he sold this place and purchased what 
is now known as the Bamborough farm, 100 acres. 
Here he lived a year and then went to Fayette Co., 
Iowa, where he followed his trade somewhat more 
than a year. He then moved on his present farm, 
in October, 1875. He has 80 acres on section 22 
and 20 acres on 23, all under cultivation, 50 acres 
being cleared by his own efforts. His farm is pleas- 
antly located, being but a mile from the county seat, 
and is one of the finest places in Union Township, 
having a good orchard, a fine residence, two sub- 
stantial barns, and other improvements to correspond. 
He was a second time married, in Lincoln Town- 
ship, this county, Oct. 22, 1868, to Miss Emily Cas- 
well, who was born near Cleveland, Ohio, Feb. 12, 
1849, ''is daughter of David and Rosina Caswell. 
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. C, 
as follows: Lettie was born Oct. 22, 1869, and died 
July 30, 187 I ; Ernest was born May 21, 1872; Le- 
land, April 8, 1877 ; Myrtie, Dec. 8, 1880; Vernon, 
July 15; 1S83. 




bella Township, was born in St. Clair Co., 
Mich., April 18, 1852, and is a son of Nicholas 
and Sophia (Rivers) Raymond, natives of 
France, and of a pure French family. The senior 
Raymond was by occupation a blacksmith, and died 
in St. Clair Co., Mich., in June, 1854, when Joseph 
was but two years old. The mother is still residing 
in that county, at the age of 79. 

The subject of this biography was reared under 
the care of his mother and step-father (David Moore), 
remaining with them until 18 years old, and received 
a good English education in the common schools. 
Leaving home at the date mentioned, he was engaged 
in the lumber woods of Midland County till the fall of 
1878, when he selected Isabella County as his home. 
The following spring he purchased 40 acres on section 
16, Denver Township, and subsequent investments 
gave him a total of 1,280 acres of heavily timbered 
land. He has continued in the business of lumber- 



I — I 



< 



F- ■ r 

litoseph D. Eaymond, a promment farmer '^ 

- and lumberinan, residing on section 13, Isa- 



^^V?^^- 



h> 



^-n^^ 



4i3:>^V> 



I 

(■.. 





'.^^y^t^ ^^' 





r^ 







^/^ a^U/U^^f— cz/ry^ 



•tf** 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^^^m 



351 






ing to the present time; and it will give an idea of the 
extent of his 0[)erations to state that he has put in 
this season (1SS3-4) upwards of 3,000,000 feet of 
logs. In i88j he purchased 140 acres of well im- 
proved land on section T3, Isabella, where is his 
present home. Sept. 28, 1880, at Mount Pleasant, 
he was united in marriage to Miss Emily McLachlin, 
daugliter of John and Catherine McLachlin, natives 
of Scotland. Mr. McL. came to this country when 
quite young and is now a farmer in Isabella Township, 
this county. Mrs. Raymond was born in St. Clair Co., 
Mich., Oct. I, 1861, and came in 1872 to this county, 
where she has received most of her education. To 
Mr. and Mrs. R. have been given two children: 
Eunice E., born Aug. 5, 18S2; and Daniel J., born 
Dec. 26, 1883. 

In political faith, Mr. Raymond is an active sup- 
porter of the Republican party. He and wife adhere 
to the tenets of the Presbyterian Church. 



||i ufus F. Glass, farmer, section 24, Gilmore 
Township, was born Nov. 2, 1S19, in Le- 
roy, Genesee Co., N. Y. His parents, 
Rufus and Nabby (Webb) Glass, were natives 
of Connecticut and died in Genesee County. 
Mr. Glass received the training of a farmer's 
son, and remained under the guidance of his father 
until he was of age. He then acquired the details 
of the builder's trade, which he followed 25 years. 
He lived a portion of that period in his native county 
and in 1841 came to Michigan. He purchased 80 
acres of land in White Lake, Oakland County, of 
which he retained the proprietorship five years. He 
disposed of the property by sale and bought 80 acres 
near Howell, Livingston County. He owned and 
managed this i8 years, and in December, 1867, came 
to Isabella County, where he has since resided and 
owns 160 acres of land, with 60 acres under improve- 
ments. He was elected the first Justice of the Peace 
of the township and held tlie position 12 years. He 
was also the first Supervisor in the township, and 
served in that capacity four terms. He was the first 
Superintendent of Schools under tVie township law 
and is now County Superintendent of the Poor. In 
1880 he was Census Enumerator of two towns in 
Isabella County ; and is now School Inspector, a 




position he has held several terms. Mr. Glass is a 
Republican in political views. 

In 1872 he had an unusual experience, which 
merits record. He set out from Mt. Pleasant with 
an ox team and wagon and found the bridge over 
the Chippewa River had been washed away by the 
high water. He was informed by parties in the 
neighborhood that fording was practicable, and he 
made the attempt. He was hardly into the water 
before he found himself floating down stream in his 
wagon box, and the oxen swimming in the direction 
from which they came. On reaching some float- 
wood, Mr. Glass jumped upon it and made his way 
to land on the same side of the river he had left, 
while the box moored itself on the opposite side. 
He paid a man a half a dollar to swim across and at- 
tach a rope to the recreant box, by which means Mr. 
Glass obtained possession of his property once more. 
He was first married May 7, 1844, to Harriet C, 
daughter of Nathan and Susan (Higbee) Rasco. 
She was born May 18, 1822, in Orange Co., N. Y. 
The record of the children born of this marriage is 
as follows: Herbert, June 2, 1845; Caroline Rosa- 
mond, Oct. 16, 1846; Egbert, July ig, 1848; an un- 
named infant child was born Jan. 15, 1851, and died 
seven days later. The mother died soon after. The 
marriage of Mr. Glass to Harriet Ann, daughter of 
Solomon and Susan (Chambers) Gould, occurred 
April II, 1852. She was born Feb. 26, 1831. Of 
five children born of this marriage three are livfng. 
The record is as follows: Algernon Sidney, born 
April 26, 1853; Clarissa, April 29,1855; Florence, 
Nov. 21 1858. Hampden was born Sept. 5, 1857, 
and died Sept. 30 following. Rufus was born Dec. 
25, i860, and died March 22, 1875. 

Amid the worthy constellation of protraits in the 
Album of Isabella County, we are proud to place 
those of Mr. and Mrs. Glass. 




Sicero Kimball, of the firm of Kimball 
i^_j|3 Bros., wholesale and retail marketmen at 
fj'ip' Mt. Pleasant, was born Oct 10, 1844, in Erie 
'^ Co., N. Y. He is the son of Samuel and 
m Caroline (Parker) Kimball, who reared their 

nine children on a farm. 
Mr. Kimball came to' Mt. Pleasant in the spring ot 






V 



A 



.^ 



ry 



f 



%m<^>^^. — =«!«- 



^-X-: 



-is 



t 



^?§^^ 



72?^ ST 






o 



!) 



352 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



1869 and worked one suminer as farm assistant with 
Wallace Preston. In the following fall he opened a 
shop on Broadway, where he followed his present 
business for four years. The shop was destroyed by 
fire in 1875, entailing a loss of $2,000. The spring 
of the same year, a livery barn belonging to him 
burnt, causing a loss of $500. He then started a 
livery stable and stage line from Mt. Pleasant to St. 
Louis, which he conducted one year. He managed 
the same business between Clare and Mt. Pleasant 
the year following. In January, 1877, he formed a 
partnership with his brother Adelbert, bought the 
site where they are now established and erected the 
building they occupy. Their stock includes all 
varieties of articles common to similar establish- 
ments, comprising also fish and game, and they are 
transacting a thriving business. The present busi- 
ness of the Messrs. Kimball requires three assistants. 

Mr. Kimball was married Jan. 4, 1870, at Mt. 
Pleasant, to Adelle, daughter of Saxton Jackson. 
She was born in Holland, Erie Co., N. Y. Lelah B., 
born Oct. 2, 1873, and Bessie M., born May 1, 1875, 
are the children now included in the family circle. 

Mr. Kimball belongs to Wabon Lodge, No. 305, at 
Mt. Pleasant. He has served several years as Under- 
Sheriff and two years as Village Marshal. 



j-VW^— f- 




! obert Ei'vin, farmer, section 2, Nottawa 
Township, is a son of Samuel and Eliza 



I 

m 



,, Jj^-^"^' (Synnott) Ervin, natives of Ireland. The 
yisLj father emigrated to this country when seven 
years of age, and the mother when she was 16 
years old, and they are both still living. 
Robert was born in Gray Co., Can., Sept. 2, 1855. 
He remained under the parental roof-tree in Canada, 
assisting his father in the maintenance of the family, 
until he attained the age of 14, in 1869, when he ac- 
companied his parents to this State, and settled with 
them in Sanilac County. He remained in that 
county for two years, and then moved to Midland 
County, and variously occupied his time for five 
years, when he came to this county. He arrived in 
March, 1877, and worked at various occupations for 
three years, until the spring of iS8i,when he moved 
upon his present farm, where he has since lived. 
Mr. Ervin was united in marriage with Miss Clista, 




daughter of Joseph and Abigail (Green) Boucher, July 
8, 1878. Her mother died March 27, 1875, and her 
father is still living. 

Mrs. E. was born Sept. 26, i860, in BrantCo.,Can. 
The husband and wife have been blessed with two 
children, born and named as follows : Samuel Joseph, 
Aug. 9, 1880; and Abigail R., March 25, 1882. 

Politically, Mr. E. is an adherent to and a believer 
in the principles of the Republican party. He has 
held the official position of School Director and Path 
Master. His farm consists of 40 acres on section 2, 
Nottawa Township, and he has some 1 2 acres of the 
same in a good state of cultivation. 



-wuec/®^-' 



•^^rtwiriv 



VS 



^{Sgfcharles W. Gardner, farmer, residing at 
gJwf^S Sherman City, was born July 25, 1847, 
1j>^ and is a son of John H. and Isabella D. (Gra- 
f|^ ham) Gardner. His mother died when he 

j was 10 years old, and he grew up under the 
care of his father and grandfather, learning the trade 
of blacksmith of the one and that of boiler-maker of 
the other. 

He was but 14 years of age when the civil war 
broke out, and two years later he became a soldier. 
He enlisted Nov. r, 1863, in Co. M, Sixth Ohio Vol. 
Cav., and was mustered out June 24, 1865, at Peters- 
burg, Va. He was under Gen. Grant from the time 
he took command of the Army of the Potomac until 
the surrender of Gen. Lee. He took part in the 
battles of Leed's Farm, second action at Malvern 
Hill, Weldon Railroad, Boyd's Plank Road, Hatcher's 
Run (first and second), Hicksford, Dinwiddie Court- 
House, Five Forks, etc. He participated in 17 
general engagements, besides being in numberless 
skirmishes. 

After leaving the United States service, lie engaged 
in farming and attending school. After studying 
about five months at New Harrisburg, Ohio, he en- 
gaged in teaching one term, after which he spent 
some time in the pursuit of the trades he had ac- 
quired. His next engagement was as a farmer, and 
he spent three years in agriculture, managing the 
farm of his father-in-law. In 1877 he came to Isa- 
bella County, and on the 15th day of December he 






c>; 



<: 



r- 



^ 



<!i]!]^iini^>A 



-^^ 



^f^^mj^^. 



m 



t 

i, v* 



4 






V 



^ 



J 



•^^v<^Mmh>T 



ISABELLA COUNT\. 






4^^f(^^^ii 



353 



settled on 80 acres of land in Sherman Township, 
which he had purchased April r, 1870. Since April 
I, 1884, he has made his home in Sherman City. 
He has 20 acres improved and supplied with farm 
buildings, an orchard, etc. He has been engaged in 
teaching and preaching, since he came to this county, 
and is at present laboring in the interests of the Dis- 
ciples' Church. He has been Superintendent of the 
Poor of Isabella County one year. Clerk of Sherman 
Township four years, and has served during the last 
year as Inspector of Schools. In 1882 he was nomi- 
nated for Register of Deeds, but was defeated by 69 
votes. Mr. G. is a Republican, and in 1880 took the 
census of the townships of Sherman, Noltavva and 
Isabella. 

Mr. Gardner was married Sept. i, 1869, to Jeru- 
sha Maggie, daughter of John and Margaret (Wiley) 
McGavram, residents of Columbiana Co., Ohio. She 
was born Aug. 23, 1849, •" Carroll Co., Ohio. Three 
children were born as follows to Mr. and Mrs. Gard- 
ner, on the homestead in Ohio: Maggie Belle, Oct. 
14, 1870; John F., May24, 1S74; Mary W., Oct. 
30, 1876. 



.>«eefir®^-«-^^^i^^|||^»-^^WJ32rav. 



.^?^^ 




^jolumbus Coles, farmer, section 11, Deer- 
•'^ field Township, is a son of Horace and 
Laura (Miller) Coles, natives of Massa- 
chusetts ; his mother died April 16, 1858, 
and his father Oct. 15, 1882. He was born 
in Williamsburg, Hampshire Co., Mass., April 
26, 1828. When he was 11 years of age the family 
settled in Bainljridge, Ohio, where he lived with his 
parents until he was 26 years of age, when lie moved 
to the town of Almena, Van Buren Co, Mich.; but 
ten years afterward he returned to Ohio, locating in 
Solon, Cuyahoga County; and nine years after that 
he moved to this county, where he has sinci resided, 
arriving March 29, 1878. He bought 80 acres of 
wild land, and at this place he is making a home for 
himself and family, having now 15 acres imi^roved. 
He is a Freemason (now deniitted), a Republican, 
and, with his wife, is a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 

March 22, 1855, Mr. Coles married Miss Ann, 
daughter of Obed Stevens. By this marriage there 
were four children, viz.: Laurie A., born Aug. 22, 



1856; Arthur Orsemus, April. 28, 1859; Lyman Mil- 
ler, June 25, i860; Albert Eugene, March 25, 1863, — 
all living. She died June 4, 1863, at Almena, Mich., 
and Mr. C. again married, Oct. 12, 1866, to Mrs. 
Mary C. Barker, nee Ballard. She was born Feb. 13, 
1837, in Springfield Township, Oakland Co., Mich., 
and Oct. 16, 1857, married Franklin Barker, who 
was wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, and in 
consequence of the wound died, Nov. 6, 1864, at 
Chattanooga. By her first marriage she had one 
child, Clara A., born Feb. 4, 1858, and is now the 
wife of Wm. E. Redfield. By the present marriage 
Mr. and Mrs. Coles have one child, Eddie E., born 
Sept. I, 1867. 



^ (j ranklin W. Ellis, farmer, section 31, Cold 

■ 1-iBi ■ i .1 water Township, was born Feb. 11, i 

gp? ">'' in Pike, Wyoming Co., N. Y., and is the 

y^ son of John and Lany (Helmer) Ellis. His 

•^h^ father was born Aug. 22, 1808, in Connecticut, 

\. and died Oct. 19, 1867. Tlie mother was 

born Feb. 3, 18 10, in Schoharie Co., N. Y., and died 

March 22, 1881. 

Mr. Ellis was a little more than 17 years old when 
armed rebellion stirred the nation to its uttermost, 
and he enlisted May 15, 1861, in Co. F, 33d N. Y. 
Vol. Inf He was mustered out June 22, 1863, and 
re-enlisted in September, 1864, in the 25 th New York 
Independent Battery. Among the battles in which 
he participated were Lee's Mills, Williamsburg, Me- 
chanicsville, White-Oak Swamp, Malvern Hill, An- 
tietam and Fredericksburg. On receiving his dis- 
charge, Mr. Ellis engaged as a miller at Pike until 
the death of his fatjier, when he went upon the home 
farm. In 1868 he sold out, and in March, 1869, 
came to Stanton, Mich. Tiiere he rented a house 
and left the family while lie proceeded to Sherman 
City and bought 120 acres of land of the Flint & 
Pere Marquette Railroad Comi)any. He removed 
the family hither in .August, 1869. He has 40 acres 
of land improved, and owns 440 acres in Mecosta 
County. 

Mr. Ellis was married Jan. 4, 1873, to Mary A., 
daughter of Jesse and — (Price) Bright. She was 
born June 26, 1854, in Darke Co., Ohio. Her mother 
died when she was young ; her father was born in 



^ 



n 



844, "^j) 



c< 






(^ 



^^#' 



354 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^ 1809, and is living in Mecosta County. Two chil- 

'A dren have been born by this marriage : Vernon, 

:% April 7, 1874 (died Feb. 17, 1875), Ira J., Aug. 24, 

f 1876. 

■^(^^ 

flared K. Palmer, farmer on section 15, Not- 
towa Township, is a son of George and 



/N 



>5 



V 



9^ 







Elizabeth (Key) Palmer, natives of Eng- 
land. The father died March 29, 1883; and 
3^ the mother is now living in Plymouth, Wayne 
Co., Mich. 

The subject of this biography was born in Plym- 
outh, Wayne County, this State, Sept. i, 1857, and 
lived on the farm with his parents until he arrived at 
man's estate. Attaining his majority, he commenced 
working on a farm by the month, which occupation 
he followed for four years. March 28, 1882, he ar- 
rived in Isabella County, which he has since made 
his home. Dec. 15, 1879, he had purchased his farm 
of 80 acres ; and now, in two years, he has made a 
number of valuable improvements, such as building 
a good frame house and stable, and has 20 acres 
cleared. 

He was married Dec. 14, 1881, at Plymouth, to 
Miss Julia A. Perin, daughter of Jesse and Emily A. 
(Power) Perin. To them one daughter, Katie A., was 
born Jan. 29, 1884. 

Mr. Palmer is politically a Republican. He is 
now Drain Commissioner of his township. 




rinee H. Robbins, farmer on sectioris 22 
,,•,5^5™!^ and 23, Gilmore, and mill owner in Clare 
tl'l^ County, was born May 20, 1829, at Yar- 
11^ mouth, N. S. His parents, Rufus and Leiitia 
Jf^ (Wyii.an) Robbins, were natives of Nova Sco- 
tia. The father was born May 21, 1792, and died 
Aug. 7, 1867 ; her mother died in 1873, her exact age 
being unknown. 

The father was captain of a vessel, and when the 
son attained his majority he shipped as a seaman in 
the same boat. He followed the sea as a vocation 
for 22 years, rising to the positions of mate and 
captain. 

After spending si\ months in Worcester Mass., he 



came to Michigan and first located at Alma, Gratiot 
County, where he remained about a year and a half, 
and in 187 i settled in Isabella County, July i, 1871, 
he took possession of 200 acres of land in Gilmore 
Township, which he had previously purchased. Of 
this tract, which was in an entirely original condition, 
he has improved 120 acres. In the fall of 1883 he 
removed his residence to a point in Clare County 
near Harrison's Junction, formerly known as Hinck- 
ley's Mills, where he has since been engaged in the 
manufacture of lumber and shingles. 

He was married Dec. 19, 185 1, to Isabella B., 
daughter of Robert and Mary A. (Bulwer) Purdy. 
She was born June 6, 1830. The children now com- 
prised in the household of Mr. Robbins were born as 
follows : Eliza E., April 5, 1852 ; Robert W., March 
19, 1854; Althea B., Oct. 31, 1856; Catherine A., 
Sept. II, 1858; Eva, Sept. 24, i860; Mary Letitia, 
Nov. 16, 1863; Henry, March 25, 1866; Rufus, 
Nov. 16, 1855 (died Jan. 3, 1856); Gracie, May 
27. 1875 (died June 23, 1875). 






<^ 




^ 



'^: 



eorge H. Hersey, a prominent farmer and 
breeder of stock, resident on section 181, 
Wise Township, was born Sept. 8, 1853, 
in Lapeer Co., Mich. His parents, Julius B. 
and Sarah E. (Pridden) Hersey, were natives 
respectively of Michigan and England. They 
settled in Dryden, Lapeer County, where the father 
is still living. The mother died about Jan. 3, 1872. 
Their family included the following named children 
Amelia E. (deceased), John P., Alelia E., Geo. H., 
Fremont D., Victor C, Vorilla S. and Annie A. 

Mr. Hersey jjassed the years of his early boyhood 
at school, and at the age of 13 found himself with 
the problem of making his way in the world on his 
hands for solution. He passed the following six 
years as a farm assistant, working by the month as 
he found satisfactory positions, with the exception 
of one winter which he spent in lumbering, and a 
summer season which he devoted to labor in a saw- 
mill. In the spring of 1875 he bought 40 acres of 
unimproved land in Wise Township. He built a log 
house for temporary purposes, and gave his attention ^ 
to the work of placing his proi)erty in creditable (^J 
faming condition. He has increased his farm to 80 ^ 



/i 



n 



S 




■^zJ^^^rvsr 



f 



/^ 



'j^j 



V 



^ 



CI 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"T^ 



":2^s^^J^^s^ 



-^^m^^i 



3SS 



acres by further purchase, and has 62 acres of the 
entire tract under culture. He has increased the at- 
tractiveness and value of his place by the erection 
of one of the finest barns in Isabella County, second 
to none for convenience and completeness. It is 30 
by 50 feet in dimensions. He keeps on an average 
17 head of cattle, 20 sheep, a yoke of oxen and two 
horses. In political faith Mr. Hersey is a Republi- 
can, and he has held the offices of School Moderator 
and School Treasurer, which latter office he now 
fills. 

Mr. Kersey's marriage to Mary A. Jacobs occurred 
at Romeo, Macomb Co., Mich., April 24, 1873. She 
was born in Hammond, St. Lawrence ("o., N. Y., 
Aug. 24, 1855, and is the daughter of Richard and 
Betsey (Hammond) Jacobs. Her parents were born 
respectively in Ireland and in St. Lawrence Co. N. 
Y. They settled after marriage in the latter place, 
and later in life removed to Lapeer Co., Mich., and 
are still resident there. James H., only child of Mr. 
and Mrs. Hersey, was born March 10, 1876, at Mt. 
Pleasant. 



=E>- 



>5i;^r[|i<' ohn A. Drew, farmer, section 8, Deerfield 
Ij^^L- Township, is a son of Orrin and Julia A. 
Ivp'^ (Meeker) Drew, natives of Vermont, both 
^,^ of whom finally located in Shiawassee Co., 
]t Mich., where they died. 

\\ He was born Feb. 18, 1833, and in October, 

r838, the family moved to Lapeer Co., Mich. He 
lived with them until 1856; then lived in Shiawassee 
County until 1869, and since then in this county. 
He first bought a farm of 80 acres, which he occu- 
pied until 1879, when he sold it and purchased his 
present place of 80 acres. 

Dec. 26, r859, in Shiawassee County, Mr. Drew 
married Miss Mary A., daughter of David J. and 
Mary (Sickner) Tower, the former a native of Ver- 
mont and the latter of the State of New York. Mr. 
and Mrs. D. have had 11 children, seven of whom 
are living, namely : John O., J T, Mary E., Peter 
James, Joseph Henry, William A. and Laura Ann. 
David J. died June 26, r86j. Clayton A., March 
14, 1859; Anna Estelle, Jan. 19, 1874; and Colonel 
Benjamin, June 26, 1876. J T was married April 



21, 1884, to Lillian Lawrence, and lives in Deer- 
field Township. 

Aug. 27, 1864, Mr. Drew enlisted, in Shiawassee 
County, in the 29th Micii. Vol. Inf , went to Ten- 
nessee and Alabama under Gen. Thomas, and partici- 
pated in the battle at Decatur, Ala., and in several 
skirmishes. He was mustered out June 27, 1865, 
on account of disability. Is now receiving a pension 
of $12 a month. 

In regard to political issues Mr. Drew votes with 
the Republican party. 



AtfijZC?©-^^ 



^g>^4— M^^i/ZIOTiV. 




r/i]iitesse Perin, farmer on section 15, Nottawa 
'Mm.-- Township, is a son of Pheroras I. and Di- 
ana (Phillips) Perin, both of whom were 
born in the Stale of New York and are now de- 
ceased. He was born in Perington Township 
Ontario Co., N. Y., Sept. 28, 1821, and June i, 
the year following, the family arrived at Detroit, on 
their way to a new home in the Peninsular State, which 
was then, however, a Territory. 

They located in Oakland Co., Mich., and Jesse was 
there reared and educated. He lived with his parents 
until 2 1 years old and in and about the old home for 
four or five years more. He then went to the city of 
Detroit, where he was connected with the milk busi- 
ness for five years. His next move was to Plymouth, 
Wayne Co., Mich., where he rented a farm and work- 
ed it about two years. Returning to Detroit, he fol- 
lowed the milk business again there for a year and a 
half, and then went to Rochester, Oakland County 
where his wife engaged in the millinery business, and 
he was employed as a huckster. Here he lost his 
wife by deatii, March 17, 1863. 

Going next to Milwaukee, Wis., lie took hischildren 
to a sister to be cared for, and followed the telegrai)h 
business for five years. He then removed to Dear- 
born, Wayne Co., Mich., and followed for one year 
the manufacture of lumber and Hour. Al the expira- 
tion of that time he exchanged for mills in Farming- 
ton, Oakland Co., Mich , remaining in the business 
four years more, in the meantime erecting a saw-mill. 
The mills at Dearborn coming in;o his possession by 
non-payment, he returned to that place fortwoyears. 
Selling out at the end of that period, he removed 



< 



% 



t 



» 



^ 



356 



(b 



'^ 



? 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



*t?^^f(svi 



once more to Plymouth Township, where he lived on 
a rented farm for five years. 

He made his last move Aug. 14, 18S2, to Isabella 
County. He bought a saw-mill at Van Decar, known 
as the Luke & Rathbun Mill, which he ran until the 
winter of 1883-4, when he sold to Mr. Van Decar. 
He is nowlivingon his farm of 40 acres, where he 
ha.; built a comfortable frame house and barn. He 
is at present Justice of the Peace. 

He was married in 1846, to Emily A. Power, who 
was born in 1823 and died in Oakland County, this 
Slate, in 1863. She was the mother of four children, 
of whom one daughter, Julia A., survives. She was 
born Feb. 17, 1859. He was a second time married 
Sept. 19,1867, to Mary E. Phillips, daughter of Jere- 
miali and Nancy (Fifield) Phillips, both of whom are 
dead. Of this marriage was born a daughter, Lotta 
A., March 22, 1869. 



y 

rs 




■'■f oseph Miser, farmer on section 5, Coe 
v,||, Township, is a son of George and Sophia 
=v-;^i4' (Beidler) Miser, natives of Maryland and 
Pennsylvania. The parents first settled in 
Holmes Co , Ohio, and afterward came to this 
county and settled in Coe Township, on section 
5, where he died, Aug. 12, 1866. She survives, and 
her home is with Mr. Miser. Their family included 
three sons and five daughters, Joseph being the eld- 
est son. 

He was born in Holmes Co., Ohio, Jan. 28, 1831, 
and passed his minority in Holmes, Wayne and Tus- 
carawas Counties, attending the district schools and 
assisting his father on the farm. He then learned 
the carpenter's trade, which he now follows, in con- 
nection with the pursuit of agriculture. In April, 
1858, he came to Isabella County, and one year later 
he bought 40 acres on section 7, Coe Township. He 
now owns 80 acres, of which 65 are highly improved. 
He was married in Tuscarawas Co , Ohio, Nov. 30, 
1854, to Wealthy A., daughter of John Minard. 
Parents and daughter were natives of Pennsylvania, 
where Mrs. Miser was born, June 20, 1836. To this 
marriage, si.x children have been born : Sevilla J. 
(died when ten months old), Lcander O., Frances 
Ella, Ida M., Joseph E. and William I). 

Mr. M. has been Constable of Coe Township one 



year, and Highway Commissioner one year. He was 
elected the second Sheriff of the county in the fall of 
i860, and served two years. He is a member of the 
I. O. O. F., and supports the Republican party. 

He enlisted Sept. 28, 1863, in the First Mich. 
Eng. and Mech., and served until Oct. 6, 1865. He 
was captured at one time by guerrillas, but was 
liberated after a short time. 




Vv. 



A 



C< 






>§ §\\ illiam W. Parmenter, farmer section 32, 

Coldwater Township, was born Jan. 18, f, 
JM^'K" '^37' '" Brandon, Rutland Co., Vt., and 

j} is the son of Nathan and Azubah (Grover) 
Parmenter. (See sketch of N. S. Parmenter.) 
At the age of 16 years, Mr. Parmenter com- 
menced his unaided struggle with life. He had ac- 
quired the carpenter's trade, and at the time named 
he made a tour of observation through the Western 
States, and after traversing through 13 of them he 
went back to Vermont and stayed two years. He ■ 
was married Oct. 8, 1859, to Emily Wood. In 1861 
Mr. Parmenter settled at Waverly, Bremer Co., Iowa, 
and engaged in farming on the estate of his father-in- 
law. The civil war was in progress, and the history 
of the Hawkeye State during the course of the rebell- 
ion is well and widely known. The enthusiasm of 
the period was universal and a large percentage of 
the best element of the State hastened, in the early 
days of the war, to enroll under the standard of the 
United States Government. Mr. Parmenter enlisted 
Aug. 22, 1862, in the 14th Iowa Vol. Inf, and was 
made First Sergeant of Co. B. His regiment was as- 
signed to the Army of the Mississippi and was in 
the service along the course of the river. He was in 
the Red River Expedition under Gen. Banks, and was 
in Sherman's raid from Vicksburg to Meridian. He 
jjarticipated in the battle at Jackson, Miss., and was 
at the taking of Fort Derusey under .\. J. Smith. At 
the fight at Pleasant Hill in Louisiana, he was wound- 
ed twice, a spent minie ball striking him on the left 
arm, and soon after he was struck on the shoulder by 
a spent cannon ball. He was sent to the U. S. bar- 
racks hospital at New Orleans, where he remained 
three weeks, and was sent thence to Memphis, 
Tenn. Four weeks later he received a furlough of 
60 days, which he spent at his home in Iowa. He 






fQ' 



-^^^^ ^=^^^II!]^IIl]i-> 



A^- 



m 



&7 



Bfr» 



4'%jr\Si^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^■■4^-. 



J 






>0 



S/ 



^ 






rejoined his regiment at Holly Springs, Miss., and 
participated inthe pursuit of Gen. Forrest in the Ox- 
ford raid. The command fell back to Memphis, and 
l)roceeded to Jefferson Barracks, Mo. Three com- 
panies of tlie 14th Iowa accompanied Gen. Ewing to 
Pilot Knob, as body guard. During the last days of 
September, 1864, trouble commenced at fronton, and 
the rebels under Gen. Price, not long afterward sur- 
rounded Fort Davidson and Pilot Knob. The fort 
was evacuated the same night, and the fleeing Union- 
ists were pursued by the enemy through the Ozark 
Mountains. They reached Leesburg, where a skir- 
mish ensued ; reinforcements arrived, and the rebels 
were repulsed. The regiment was mustered out at 
Davenjjort, Iowa, Nov. 22, 1864. 

Mr. Parmenter returned to Vermont, took his par- 
ents and went to Wyoming Co., N. Y., where he re- 
mained three years. He was engaged in hotel busi- 
ness, in working at his trade, and finally purchased a 
boat, which he ran for a time on the Genesee Canal. 
He sold the latter, and on the 20th day of August 
1867, he started for Michigan. He stopped at Stan- 
ton, Montcalm County, where he worked at his trade 
three months, and then, in company with A. S. John- 
son, came to Sherman City. He worked for a time as 
clerk for Mr. Johnson, when he bought 80 acres of 
land, and entered a claim of 80 acres under the 
regulations of the Homestead Act. To this he has 
since added 80 acres by purchase, and has been chiefly 
engaged in lumbering winters. He has cleared 20 
acres for his farm. He engaged some years in the 
hotel business, but is now giving his entire attention 
to farming, and his parents are keeping his house. 

He is a Democrat in political faith. 



=K- 



ll'scar Green, farmer on section 5, Rolland 

Township, is a son of Abraham and Eva 

Green, both of whom were born and died 

in the State of Pennsylvania. Tliey followed 

farming. 

Their son Oscar was born in Clearfield Co., 
Pa , in 1856, and was orphaned at the tender age of 
ten. He then went to Meadville, Pa., and engaged 
in farm work. He came to this State in the spring 
of 1876, and lived a year in Grand Rapids. Coming 
then to this county, he located on 80 acres on section 





5, Rolland, where he now has 50 acres finely im- 
proved. 

He was married June 14, 1877, to Susan Cum- 
niings, who was born July 30, 1859, in Hocking Co., 
Ohio. She is the daughter of William and Harriet 
Cummings, natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Green 
are the parents of two children, — Philip H., born 
Jan. 12, 1878; and EvaG., born April 14, 1880. 

Mrs. G. is a Wesleyan Methodist. In political 
sentiment, Mr. G. is a Republican. 

5-«4<4##!»-f^ 

j^il^^ff esse J. Struble, M. D., residing at Salt 

|^31'' River, was born in Knox Co., Ohio, March 

ll^' ' 8, t83o, and is the son of John W. and 

-di, Sarah (Laycock) Struble, natives of Essex Co., 

ir N. J. The parents finally settled in Knox Co., 

\ Ohio, where they carried on farming until their 

death. He departed this life Aug. 27, 1835, and she 

Jan. 23, 1863. Their family numbered seven and 

were named as follows: Daniel S., William W., 

Henry, John W., Jesse J., Lewis A. and Jacob P. 

The subject of this biography was the fifth son, 
and was five years old when his father died. He 
continued to live with his mother until ii years old, 
and was at that early age expected to make his own 
way in life. He was variously employed for the en- 
suing six years, managing generally by diligence and 
perseverance to attend school in the winter seasons. 
From 17 to 20 he worked out and took proceeds of his 
labor to pay his board, that he might later on be en- 
abled to study farther. At 20 he began to read 
medicine, and for the next five years he prosecuted 
his studies, in the face of many difficulties. He was 
kindly aided, however, by several physicians, who 
did all in their power to facilitate his progress. At 
the age of 25 he began to practice his chosen profes- 
sion, in Primrose, Williams Co., Ohio, where he 
resided about eight years, meeting with gratifying 
success. Persuaded by friends in this county, he 
reluctantly left Primrose in the spring of 1867, and 
adoi)ted Isabella County as his future home. Here 
he has since resided, and has built up an enviable 
reputation as an efficient and skillful jihysician. 

He was married in Sandusky C^o., O., Dec. 12, »85o, 
to Miss Harriet F., daughter of Walter F. and Mary 
E. (Foster) Osborne, natives respectively of New 

i;>v^ ^^c ^1^ 



y^ 



9 

i 







(*^)^^ii^t^ 



r^'^i^^ crTrC:DD^DD?>r 



~^^f%^if^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'0 






>J 



V 

s 



'^ 



% 



York State and Pennsylvania. The parents made 
their home in Black Rock, N. Y., but the father, be- 
ing a superintendent on the Erie Canal, spent much 
of his time in the city of Albany. He died Nov. 26, 
1842, and his wife now resides in Sandusky Co., 
Ohio. Mrs. Struble was born in the State of New 
York, April 23, 1829. She and her husband have 
been the parents of seven children, five of-Tvliom sur- 
vive: Allen T,. Harriet E., Clarence E., Clark E. 
and Jay J. Mary E. and Florence R. are deceased. 
Dr. Struble is a member of Salt River Lodge, No. 
288, F. & A. M., and is politically a Reiiublican. 



«e- 



D. Estee, proprietor of the Exchange Hotel 
at Mt. Pleasant, was born March 18, 1850, 
pl^^ in Chautauqua Co., N. Y. He is a son of 
) (j Perry H. (see sketch) and Carrie (Dole) Estee, 
i^ and when he was five years old his parents re- 
■ ^ moved to Michigan, where his father bought 
160 acres of land, in Coe Township, Isabella County, 
under the Graduation \ct, for which he paid 50 cents 
an acre. 

Mr. Estee grew to nuilare years on his father's 
farm and aided materially in its improvement and 
cultivation daring the years of his minority. He be- 
came the proprietor in his own right of 51 acres of 
land on section 18, adjoining the homestead of his 
father. It is in a finely cultivated condition, and has 
been brought by his own labor and efforts from its 
original natural state. It is supplied with a good 
house, barns, and other outbuildings, besides having 
valuable and well-selected orchards. It is accredited 
one of the best farms in the township according to its 
size. 

Mr. Estee was married in Erie Co., Pa., while on 
a visit to relatives, to Sarah A., daughter of Orlando 
and Lorinda Miller. She was born in the county 
where she was married. Mr. and Mrs. Estee have 
an adopted son — Claude — born in Coe Township, 
March 18, 1879. 

Mr. Estee rented the Exchange Hotel in 1883, 
taking possession Sept. 18. He has been actively 
interested in local politics and school matters. He 
was Deputy Sheriff two years under F. W. Swarts, 
and filled the same office two years with Cliarles M. 
Brooks In the fall of 1883 he was the Republican 



nominee for Sheriff and made the campaign against 
Thomas Pickard, Democrat, who was elected. Mr. 
Estee ran in advance of iiis ticket on the home vote 
and in the townships adjoining. He is a member ot 
the Odd Fellows fraternity and belongs to Coe Lodge, 
No. 239. 



|Lletcher M. Tubbs is a farmer of Wise 

f 



1^1 L Township, resident on section 17, and was 



born Aug. 25, 1838, in Chemung Co., N. 
^'i^ Y. He is the son of James and Charlotte 
jl^ (Bailey) Tubbs, whose sketch may be found 
elsewhere. His parents came to Michigan in 
1843, and he continued to reside at home mainly 
until 1874. In the fall of 1872 he accompanied his 
family to Isabella County, and for the next three 
years he acted as his father's assistant in a hotel at 
liOomis. In 1875 he bought 120 acres of wild land 
on section 17, in Wise Township, where lie has since 
resided, with the exception of three years which were 
passed in Genesee County. 

In political connection Mr. Tubbs is a Republican. 
He is a member of the Knights of Honor, and be 
longs to Lodge 1772, at Loomis. He was the 
pioneer agriculturist of Wise Township, and raised 
the first crop of wheat and oats within its limits, and 
built the first frame house and barn outside the cor 
poration of Loomis. 

Mr. Tubbs was married in Holly, Oakland Co 
Mich., Oct. 22, i860, to Louisa Van Valkenburg, a 
native of Genesee Co., Mich. 



\\^^^^?^ 



^^E dward Drum, fanner on section 9, Coe 
Township, is a son of John and Ruth 
'•iX^' (Bennett) Drum, natives of the State of 
New York. The parents settled ni Franklm 
Co., N. Y., where they lived till their death. 
The subject of this narrative was born in Frank- 
lin County, July 15, 18 19, and remained at home 
until 21 years old, attending school and assisting his 
father on the farm. At the age of 23, he bought a 
farm in liis native county, on which he lived seven 
years. Selling out, he rented for two years, and then 
he bought a farm in St. Lawrence County, same 






y^ 



A 



V' 



-v 



I 

(t) 







z^^^^r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'^-^'<^, 



f 



(h 






^ 



4 



State. There he li\s8d until December, 1864, when 
he sold, came to Isabella County and bought 157 
acres of wild land in Coe Township. He retains 67 
acres, of which 50 are under the plow. 

He was married in the county of his birth, April 7, 
i8.|3, to Jane M., daughter of Jacob and Margaret 
(Grant) HoUenbeck, natives respectively of New York 
and Canada. Mrs. Drum was born in Dundee, L. C, 
Dec. 26, 1823. She and her husband have had six 
children, three of whom are deceased. The living 
are David, Ruth and John H. The dead are Har- 
riet, Luella and an infant. 

Mr. D. has been Pathmaster about five years. 
Politically, he supports the principles of the Repub- 
lican party. He and wife are members of the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. 

—J ->l3- 




^ 



janiel J. Hopkins, farmer, section 28, Nct- 
||> tawa Township, was born in West Green- 
wich, Center Co., R. I., Sept. 6, 1855. 
^cT" His father, Arnold Hopkins, is a native of 
Connecticut, and his mother, Almira (Billing- 
ington) Hopkins, of Rhode Island. 
The parents remained in Rhode Island until 
Daniel was 14 or 15 years of age, when they moved, 
about 1870, to New York State, and located in Liv- 
ingston County. Here the subject of this sketch 
lived about six months, when he left home to battle 
against the trials so often encountered in the onward 
march of progress. Without aid or assistance, and 
accompanied only by his aniljition and determination, 
he launched his life-boat on the sea of the world, 
and went to Castile, Wyoming Co., N. Y. He there 
followed the occupation of farming, working from 
farm to farm by the month for a period of about five 
years, and then, March 8, 1875, came to this State 
and located at Portland, Ionia County. 

In June, 1877, Mr. Hopkins purchased 40 acres of 
land in this county, and in October of the following 
year he came and located on the same, and now has 
28 acres of the farm in a good state of cultivation. 

Mr. Hopkins was united in marriage, March 2, 
1874, at Portageville, Wyoming Co., N. Y., to Eliza- 
beth Campbell, daughter of Daniel and Lucy (Dana) 
Campbell, the former of whom is living in New York 




State, and the latter died in 1873. She was born 
July 17, 1854. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are the parents of three 
children, born and named as follows: Minnie Allen, 
Sept. 20, 1875; Carrie May, July 23, 1878; Arthur 
Adelbert, Nov. 11, 1882. 

Politically, Mr. H. is an adherent to and believer 
in the doctrines and principles of the Democratic 
party. 



illiam Broomfleld, farmer and lumber- 
man on section 



<2) 




(i&''r-, " ^^^^ t)orn in Ontario, Can., 



1, Broomfleld Township, 

f^ — , — w...^rio. Can., Oct. z, 1832, 
'> and is a son of Neil and Catherine (Mc- 
Levin) Broomfleld, natives of Argyleshire, 
Scotland. The parents came to America and 
settled in Canada in 1831. 

Mr. Broomfleld acquired a limited education in 
the schools of his native locality, and by experience 
and observation has gained a practical education of 
unusual value. In 1849 he went to Lockport, 
Niagara Co., N. Y., and he was there employed some 
time in a shingle mill. Thence he went to Hamil- 
ton, Ont., and engaged in the manufacture of shin- 
gles. After some months he made a prospecting trip 
through Western Canada, and in the spring of 1853 
he came to Sanilac, where he continued in the busi- 
ness of shingle-making. He was there three years, 
and in the spring of 1856 he journeyed through the 
western country. He visited his home in Ontario, 
and remained until i86r, when he came to what is 
now Broomfleld and settled on his present place. 
He held his land only by right of " squatter sover- 
eignty," as the Homestead Act was not then in ex- 
istence. He kept himself posted, however, as to 
matters affecting the interests of the class of land- 
holders to which he belonged, and on the passage of 
the .above mentioned measure by Congress, he en- 
tered the first claim under its provisions in Isabella 
County, in May, 1864. 

His landed estate now includes 460 acres, of which 
260 are under improvement. All his buildings are 
first-class, and his beautiful residence cost him 
$2,500. In politics, Mr. Broomfleld is a Republican. 
He has been State Road Commissioner by appoint- 
ment, and has held the office of Supervisor for ten 



•-I 

I — : 



Ky 

/ 







years. He is a member of the Order of Masonry. 

Hs was married in Ontario, in April, 1859, to Miss 
Ellen J., daughter of Marshall and Mary (Jackson) 
Macklin. She died Oct. 31, 1868, of typhoid fever, 
leaving three children: Ida, born March 1, i860; 
Nellie, March 15, 1861; and Marshall, June 17, 
1863. His second marriage occurred in Ontario, 
Can., March 17, 1870, to Elizabeth, daughter of Mal- 
colm and Agnes (Cameron) Malloy, natives respect- 
ively of Scotland and Canada. Mrs. Broomfield 
was born April 1 1, 1840. Three of six children born 
of this marriage are living: Catherine, April i, 1871 ; 
Neil, Jan. 14, 1873; and Archibald, July 3, 1875. 

A portrait of Mr. Broomfield is given in this work, 
appearing on a page in proximity. 



>:> 



<? 

s 



1 



•'ijnM 



^?5-S^ 




fiehard Hoy, farmer on section 16, Coe 
Township, is a son of Patrick and Cathe- 
rine (Pentleton) Hoy, natives of Meath Co., 
)x^ Ireland. The parents came to the United 
States in 1827, and settled first in Vermont, 
and later in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., where 
they lived until their death. He departed this life 
in May, 1857, and she, Feb. 28, 1857. Their family 
included seven sons and four daughters, Richard 
being the youngest son. 

He was born in Ireland, March 8, 1S27, and was 
brought in infancy by his parents to this country. At 
the age of seven, he was taken by his sister Margaret, 
with whom he lived two years, and he then lived for 
seven years on a farm with a man by the name of 
Jenison. Next, for one year he was employed in a 
woolen mill at Ogdensburg, N. Y. He then went to 
Burlington, Vermont, and was employed in a mill 
from 1846 to i860, at the expiration of wiiich time he 
took a trip through the New England States, visiting 
different mills. His next enterprise was a grocery at 
Winooski Falls, Vermont, which lie conducted one 
year. Selling out, he removed to Clinton Co., N. Y., 
where he was employed in a mill about one year. In 
1852, he went to California, in search of gold and 
health, remaining on the Pacific slope until Novem- 
ber, 1855. He then returned to the East, arriving in 
Isabella County the following month, and taking up 
120 acres on section 16, Coe Township. He built a 
log house and frame barn and shed, and continued 



to improve his place until 1864, when he sold and re- 
moved to Vermont. There he bought a farm on 
which he remained one year; and again selling out, 
he returned to Isabella County and settled on 80 
acres on section 7, Coe Township, which he had pre- 
viously purchased. Here he erected good buildings, 
and improved about 65 acres, residing on the place 
until February, 1882, when he sold again, and bought 
40 acres on section 16, where he now resides. He 
has 30 acres under cultivation. 

He was first married in the State of Vermont, Oct. 
8, 1849, to Louisa Gleason, a native of Waterbury, 
Vermont. They had one daughter, Louisa C, who 
died Oct. 10, 1878, nearly 28 years old. His first 
wife dying Nov. 11, 1850, he was again married, in 
Waterbury, July 12, 1856, to Cornelia V., daughter of 
Daniel and Betsey (Williams) Woodward, natives of 
Vermont. Mrs. Hoy was born in Vermont, July 9, 
1832. To this union have been born four children : 
Annie A., Mary C, Fred R. and Frank P. 

Mr. Hoy has been Township Clerk two years. Su- 
pervisor two years and School Inspector several terms. 
He has also served the county with credit. He was 
elected the first County Treasurer of Isabella County, 
serving one term. He held the office of Probate 
Judge four years, and was also Superintendent of the 
Poor for two terms. Politically he is a supporter of 
Democratic principles, and he is a member of the 
Masonic Order. 



■^ r T-^ \hauncey Kyes, farmer on section 6, Coe 

t LLid , Township, is a son of James and Cas- 

pjL/'"^ sandana (Williams) Kyes, natives of New 

^fe York and Vermont. The i)arents first settled 

;''V in Royalton, Genesee Co., N. Y. In 1830 

j they came to Calhoun Co., Mich., where they 

died, she in the summer of 187 i and he Jan. 16, 1876. 

Their family comprised five sons and four daughters, 

Chauncey being the eldest son. 

• He was born while his parents resided at Royalton, 

April 8, 1823, and was seven years old when the 

family removed to Michigan. His father being in 

meager circumstances, and having a large family, 

Chauncey was early expected to contribute to his 

own maintenance. At the tender age of eight, he 

began to drive cattle and perform such other light 

work as he could get to do. At 15, he commenced 



I 



A 



f>>: 






(^ 






>^ 



"xxy' 






^K/^®))C^(|— 



':^^ ^V<-:llD:<^;ilil^J>v 



■:2i<^^-CL^ 



I 

f 



ISABELLA COUNTT 



m 






>:■ 



V 

s 



^ 



J 

*\'\ 

^ 



363 



working by the month for others, often visiting his 
parents in the meantime. When 2 1 years old, he 
entered the employ of the Michigan ('entral Rail- 
road, with which he remained for three years. He 
bought 40 acres of land in Calhoun County, on 
which his father settled, and retained it five years, 
when he gave it to his father. He then bought a 
farm in Jackson County, which he worked for three 
years, and then sold, being unfortunate in his health. 
In the fall of 1856 he came to Isabella County, bought 
40 acres on section 6, Coe Township, to which pur- 
chase he soon added 40 acres more. He at once built 
a log house and set about making for himself a 
home. At the present time he has 50 acres under 
cultivation. 

He was first married in Jackson Co., Mich., Oct. 
14, 1844, to Huldal) Wright, a native of New York. 
Mrs. K. died April 20, r864, having been the mother 
of three children, — Marvin H., Warren M. and Ida 
L., all of whom are deceased. Mr. K. was again 
married in Chippewa Township, this county, Feb. 3, 
1870, to Catherine Jane Oathout, a native of New 
York. She died June 15, 1879, and Dec. 23, 1882, 
he married for his present wife Alta L., daughter of 
Henry D. and Margaret E. (Mudge) Rice, natives 
of Vermont and Michigan, respectively. Mrs. K. 
was born in Leslie, Ingham Co., Mich., July iS, 
1864. 

Mr. Kyes has been Constable one year. Highway 
Commissioner five years, and politically supports the 
Republican party. 



sSj I,, I,.,, 

-'1 ^r ohn L. Nichols, farmer, section 22, Not- 

jiit^^'L i^'i-^va Township, is a son of William H. and 

■^ Sophia L). (Otto) Nichols. The father was 

X-^L ^o""" '" Columbia Co., N. Y., of Holland par- 

""W entage, and died in Wayne Co., N. Y., in 

I 1882 ; and the latter was of the people known 

as Pennsylvania Germans, was born in New York 

State, and died in Wayne County, N. Y., in 1878. 

The subject of this biography was born in Clyde, 
Wayne Co., N. Y., June 4, 1852, and lived with his 
parents until he attained his majority. He came to 
Isabella Township, this county, in the fall of 1876, 
and for two years taught school in the Government's 
Indian school at Nipissing. In the fall of 1879, he 



e 



>. 



took up his residence on his present farm of 40 acres 
purchased in the summer of 1877. He has about 
eight acres improved. In 1883 he purchased 40 
acres more in partnership with his brother. 

He was married March 5, 1872, at Rose Valley, 
Wayne Co., N. Y., to Miss Anna M. Stewart, daugh- 
ter of John and Jane (Graham) Stewart, natives re- 
spectively of Canada and Ireland. Both parents are 
now living. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have four chil- 
dren of their own: Fritz G., born Sept. 24, 1873; 
Roy Eugene, June 2, 1878; Patience, Feb. 8, 1880; 
and Hope Eunice, April 7, 1883; and one adopted 
daughter, Cora Ellen Si.xbury, born Sei)t. 8, 187 i. 



-^^ 



ewis Richards, farmer, section 36, Gilmore 
Township, was born Oct. 4, r844, in Green r 
Bay, Wis., and is the son of Julian and ^^ 
b1(j Margaret (Satemaux) Richards, natives of Wis- 
consin. 

At the early age of eight years Mr. Rich- 
ards commenced life on his own responsibility. He 
became a clerk in a store at Fort Howard, Brown Co., 
Wis., and remained in that business until he was 15 
years old, when he went to the Upper Peninsula of 
Michigan, and was employed in a blast furnace in 
the Lake Superior region three years, engaged in 
melting iron. While there the civil war broke out 
and he became a soldier. He enlisted Aug. 2, 1862, 
in the 23d Mich. Vol. Inf, and was mustered out in 
February, 1863, on account of physical inability. His 
command was attached to the Western Division of 
the army and Mr. Richards was in very little active 
service. On receiving his discharge he went to Ypsi- 
lanti, Washtenaw County, where he worked two years 
by the month as a farm laborer. He spent the sub- 
sequent five years working by the day. 

In the fall of 1868 he came to Isabella County 
and settled upon a tract of land he had purchased 
in 1866. It comprised ■ 80 acres of land, and 40 
acres are now under advanced improvement. Mr. 
Richards has spent 1 1 years on his farm and three 
years in the south of Michigan, variously occupied. 

He was married July 4, 1868, to Sarah Matilda, 
daughter of John A. and Betsey E. (Sones) Harriott. 
She was born Oct. 27, 1856. Five of eight children 



¥. 






m 



■7<cmm\i->r 



364 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



5s 



I 

f 
1^ 



<^^ 



V 



-c^ 



born to Mr. and Mrs. Richards are living. Their 
record is as follows: Eva Estella, born Sept. 10, 
1876; Lulia O., March 30, 1878 ; Catherine O., July 
2, 1879; John A., April 25, 1881; Ernest J., July 
23, 1883; Isabella was born April 24, 1870, and died 
May 18, 1873; Mary E., bqrn Sept. 4, 1874, died 
Feb. 4, 1875 ; Nellie Belle, born Jan. 13, 1875, died 
March 13, 1876. 

Mr. Richards was the first Township Treasurer of 
Gilmore and has been School Moderator. He is in- 
dependent in local politics and affiliates with the 
Republican party on public matters. He has been a 
local preacher of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
during the last three years. 




illiam. Miles, farmer on section 34, Chip- 
pewa Township, is a son of David and 
%P Ellen (Marooney) Miles, natives, he of Ire- 
land and she of the State of Michigan, 
though of Irish parentage. The parents settled 
first in Redford, Wayne Co., Mich., where they 
lived till the mother's death, Aug. 15, 1847. The 
father owned a valuable tract of land near Detroit, 
but after his wife's death he became discouraged and 
led a sort of roving life. Losing his property and 
his friends, he died, in Livingston Co., Mich., about 
1873. Their four children were named John, Daniel, 
William and Bridget. 

The subject of this biography was born in Wayne 
Co., Mich., Aug. 15, 1844, and was three years old 
when his mother died. The children were kept to- 
gether about five years, when William went to De- 
troit to live with his grandfather, with whom he had 
a good home until able to care for himself At the 
age of 12 or 13 he went to work for a farmer at $3 
per month. He labored three months, but receiving 
no wages he left the place with only three cents in 
his pocket, with which, boy-like, he bought a fish- 
hook and line. Going to Livingston Co., Mich., he 
worked out by the month four and a half years, four 
years with one man. During this time he had the 
privilege of attending school during the winter sea- 
sons. 

In October, 1862, he came to this county and was 
occupied in hunting until the following spring and 



then worked the ensuing summer in Livingston Coun- 
ty. Returning to Isabella County, he was employed 
from 1863 to 1867 in the woods and in farming. In 
December of the latter year he bought 80 acres of 
wild land on section 34, where he has since resided. 
He has under cultivation 40 acres. Besides his farm, 
he now owns in this county 107 acres, mostly pine. 

He was first married in Coe Township, this county, 
Oct. 23, 1864, to Laura A., daughter of Jacob and 
Eliza E. (Liddle) Middaugh, natives of the Slate of 
New York. Mrs. Miles was born in Eaton Co., 
Mich., Oct. 18, 1845, and bore to her husband four 
children, named Florence M., Charlie I., John G. 
and Winona V. His wife dying Oct. 18, 1881, Mr. 
Miles was again married, at Salt River, this county, 
Dec. 2, 1882, to Addie, daughter of Peter and Isa- 
bella (Donald) Hollenbeck, natives of Canada and 
Scotland. Mrs. Miles was born in Canada, March 
24, 1 86 1. 

He has held the office of Highway Commissioner 
two years. Politically, he has always supported the 
Republican party, casting his first vole for Abraham 
Lincoln. He and wife belong to the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. 



-5— <-%■! 




eorge W. Ruthruff, farmer on section 31, 
Broomfield Township, is a son of David 
and Nancy (Trayer) Ruthruff, natives of 
Pennsylvania. The father was born in 1799, 
and died in 1858, in Branch Co., Mich. The 
mother was born in 1805, and died in 187 i, 
while living wiili a daughter in St. Joseph Co., Mich. 
The subject of this outline was born Oct. 2, 1834, 
in Niagara Co., N. Y., and lived at home until of age, 
receiving a little schooling. Attaining his majority 
he left home and worked on a farm by the job. In 
1858, in Branch Co., Mich., he married Miss Ann 
E., daughter of Michael and Ann E. (Cooper) Blass, 
natives of New York. Mrs. R. was the second 
daughter of a family of five children, four of whom 
are yet living, and was born June 16, 1842. 

Eleven years after his marriage, Mr. R. went to 
the State of Nebraska, where he lived two years. 
He then lived in Branch County, this State, until 
1868, when he came to this county and located on 
80 acres on section 31, Br' -mfield. He has now 45 






y^ 



V 






^y. 









n 






-^4^^ 



■^<mM]\^y^ 



"M 




^.^^^.^^^ 



m^r^^m^ 



T 



<i^\ 



>V 



■^2i^iS(t<t:r 



»ty^5f 



I 



A 



i 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 




>J 



V 



f^ 



i 



acres in a creditable state of improvement. In 1881 
he erected his substantial barn. He is intending 
soon to erect a new dwelling. 

The family circle inckides five children, three sons 
and two daughters, born as follows: Mary R., 
March 14,1859; Elmer M., Jan. 10, 1862; Nellie 
M., July 18, 1868; Clarence E., Nov. 6, 1874; and 
Uriah J., April 25, 1877. 

Politically, Mr. R. is a supporter of the Demo- 
cratic party. He was elected Highway Commis- 
sioner in 1880 and 1 88 1. 



?rrin E. Ford (deceased) was a farmer, re- 
sided on section 13, Fremont Township, 
and was born July 22, 1832, in North 
Madison, Lake Co., Ohio. His parents were 
Dexter and Lucy (McKinstry) Ford. The 
father was born Sept. 13, 1805, in Massa- 
chusetts, and was a machinist by occupation. The 
mother was born in the same State, Jan. 12, 1803. 
The parents lived in Lake Co., Ohio, and there 
reared a family of three children, Clorinda R., Orrin 
E. and Reuben D. The father died in Lake Co., 
Ohio, and the mother died in Hillsdale Co., Mich., 
in 1855. 

Orrin E. Ford, the subject of this biographical 
notice, was reared under the parental roof-tree and 
received the advantages afforded by the common 
schools. He remained with his parents until the 
breaking out of the late civil war, when he enlisted 
in Co. B, First Mich. Vol. Lif , whicli was assigned 
to the Army of the Potomac. He participated in 
the seven-days battle before Richmond (commonly 
known as the battle of the Wilderness), and was there 
wounded by having two fingers shot off. He was 
then sent to Washington, and, becoming indisposed, 
was sent 10 tiie hosintai. He remained in the latter 
place for some time, when he was sent to Philadel- 
phia, where he remained for six months, and was 
then discharged on account of disability, having con- 
tracted a chronic disease. 

After his discharge, Mr. Ford came to this State 
and lived with his family in Hillsdale County, for 
two years. He then moved to this county and located 
on section 24, Fremont Township. He entered on 




the task of improving his land, determined to make 
it a permanent home for himself and family, and after 
laboring for 18 months on the farm passed to the 
land beyond the grave, his death occurring Aug. 29, 
1869. 

Mr. Ford was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
E. Pease, Dec. 31, 1855. She is a daughter of Henry 
and Nancy (Scott) Pease, natives of New York, and 
was born in Washtenaw County, this State, May 5, 
1837. The father was born Oct 6, 1805, and died 
Nov. 22, 1875, in Isabella County, this State, and the 
mother was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., in 18 12. They 
were father and mother of six children, one boy and 
five girls, and only one of each sex survives. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ford are the parents of three chil- 
dren, all girls, namely: Josephine C. A., born Dec. 
I, 1858, in Hillsdale County, this State, and is the 
wife of Henry L. Brainard; Jennie J. A., born Feb. 
10, 1861, in Woodbridge, Hillsdale County, and is 
the wife of Stephen Moody; Lucy C. S. was born 
Feb. I, 1866, in this county. The father was a mem- 
ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church while living, 
and the mother is and has been a member of and an 
active worker in the same Church for a number of 
years. 



V^ 







c^: 






(> 



^ 



i^V^^€;^# 



eorge W. Cole, general farmer, section 10, 
Lincoln Township, was born in St. Law- 
rence Co., N. Y., Oct. 2, 1842. His 
parents, Benjamin and Eunice (Calkins) Cole, 
were natives respectively of New York and 
Pennsylvania, of English ancestry. His 
father was a farmer and died in this county, in June, 
1876, and his mother is still living, in Union Town- 
ship. This family moved first to Ohio, and four 
years later to Allen Co., Ind., where for 12 years 
young George worked with his father on the farm 
and attended school. In August, 1866, they moved 
to the present homestead, then an unbroken wilder- 
ness. They took possession of a quarter of section i o. 
Subsequently, Mr. George W. Cole bought half of 
this of his father, of which he now has 70 acres in a 
high state of cultivation ; he also has erected several 
good farm buildings, and made other improvements. ^ 
Politically, Mr. C. is a staunch Republican. He j 
has held the office of Township Clerk, Commissioner >_. 



c 



& 



"5iii*^^*sr 



368 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



f 



/\ 



:-<-j 



•^ 






of Highways, and other offices. In religion, he, as 
well as his wife, is a Seventh-Day Adventist. 

Aug. 12, 1866, in Allen Co., Ind., Mr. Cole mar- 
ried Miss Rebecca J., daughter of Samuel A. and 
Margaret (Burrell) Walters, natives of Ohio, where 
also Mr. C. was born, April 23, 1849, in Crawford 
County. She was two years old when the family 
moved to Allen Co., Ind., where she grew up and 
was educated. Mr. and Mrs. C. are the parents of 
six children, all of whom are living, namely : 
Harriet A., born July 3, 1868; Warner S., Dec. 13, 
1870; Rosetta M., July 23, 1873; Vernon D., Feb. 
12, 1874; Joseph W., Sept. 15, 1879; and ElmerM., 
April 23, 1883. 

Mr. Cole's jrortrait appears on a preceding page. 



£l'k^?a|:t evi B. Van Decar, a prominent farmer, mer- 
% LHit cliant and mill owner, residing on section 
I'liSTr' 14. Nottawa Township, is a son of Funda 
6lG^ and Lucy (Bailey) Van Decar, natives of the 
A State of New Vork. The father has been dead 
(^ 29 years, and the mother lives at Ballston Spa, 
New York. 

The subject of this notice was born Sept. 12, 1848, 
at Waterford, Saratoga Co., N. Y., and received an 
elementary education in the district schools. Grow- 
ing up, he learned the brick-mason's trade, after 
which he removed to Macomb Co., Mich., in the 
year 1868. He subsequently worked at his trade at 
Romeo, Imlay City, Oxford and Lapeer, and in 1879 
came to Isabella County. While living at Imlay, the 
family lost their dwelling house and contents by fire, 
-—which calamity was repeated three years later at 
Oxford. 

Arriving in this county, he purchased 120 acres of 
land in Nottawa Township, to which farm 80 acres 
have since been added. About half his farm (100 
acres) is under cultivation. He is now a general 
merchant and lumberman, as well as farmer, and in 
his store is the postoffice of Van Decar. He has a 
saw-mill, in which he first used a threshing-machine 
power; but his business having greatly enlarged, he 
has increased the capacity of his mill by putting in 
larger power. The village of Van Decar Iras been 
started four years. He has strong hopes that the 



K^ 



Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad will pass through the 
place. 

When Mr. Van D. first came to his present farm 
he built a log stable, in which he lived two months ; 
then built a log house on the site of his present store. 
He opened his mercantile business with a $75 stock 
in a lintel in the back part of his house, and his wife 
attended the store while he cleared the land. He 
hauled the goods from Mt. Pleasant, with a pair of 
Indian ponies hitched to the hind wheels of a lum- 
ber wagon, taking 450 pounds at a load. The roads 
were so muddy that he had to unload five times be- 
tween Mt. Pleasant and his destination. For the 
first few years his trade was principally with the In- 
dians, bartering goods for furs. 

Mr. Van Decar tells that an Indian woman died 
on his place, of consumption, and describes the 
unique funeral. He furnished the boards for the 
coffin, which the woman's husband constructed in a 
rude fashion. The corpse was drawn in a wagon by 
oxen, the Indian husband driving! One child rode 
on one of the oxen, and another rode on the coffin! 
The burying took place in an Indian cemetery two 
miles north of Mr. Van D.'s corners, and lies on Mr. 
Frisbee's land. 

His Indian neighbors practiced many peculiar cus- 
toms, one of which was that of holding war dances at 
corn-planting time, and also when the corn was large 
enough to roast, and again when it was harvested. 
They had a long tent, with curtains around the sides, 
but open above. They built a fire in the middle of 
the tent, and around this tent they danced. A box 
of tobacco was placed on either end, and the dancers 
would smoke when tired of the exercise. The dance 
would continue 24 hours, or " as long as the whisky 
lasted." 

Sept. 24. 1 88 1 (Sunday night), about niidnight, 
Mr. Van Decar's house was destroyed by fire. He 
himself was sick at the time. His wife was aroused 
first, by hearing something burst in the store. Look- 
ing in, she saw it was all ablaze, although the roof 
had not yet fallen in. She wished to enter and save a "iv 
part at least of the burning merchandise, but he held | 
her back. A hired girl and a hired man who slept '^^•_ 
above were so stupefied with the smoke that they were (;-. 
awakened with great difficulty. The youngest child ^ 
had a narrow escape. Mrs. Van Decar had scarcely (•^, 
handed him to Mr. Van D. when a large brand of ^ 






r^:Diir>^ — ^>^^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



t^-7 



<:I 



":^ 






^ 



fire fell uixin the bed where he had just lain ! They 
had an insurance of ^Soo, and their net loss was 
$2,180. 

In May, 1882, Mr. Van D. drew up a petition for 
a postoffice, and forwarded the same to Washington. 
The Postmaster-General replied that if he would es- 
tablish a route the Government would let a contract 
for the same. Mr. Van Uecar carried the mail twice 
a week to Mt. Pleasant for six months, and Mr. 
Schubauck did the same for three months, free of e.K 
penses. The Government did as promised. 

He was married Feb. 15, 1871, to Nancy H., 
youngest daughter of Erastus Day, of Armada 
Township, Macomb County. She was born Sept. 
I, 1851. Two sons have been added to the family 
circle: Harry D., born June 12, 1872, in Lapeer 
County, and Frank, born at O.xford, May 18, 1879. 

Mr. Van Decar is politically a Republican. He 
has been Township Clerk one term. Both he and 
wife are members of the Baptist Church. 



||.|3harles Barden, farmer on section 14, Coe 
Township, is a son of William and Sopliia 
(Norton) Barden. The parents lived first 
in New York State, then in Cuyahoga Co., 
Ohio, next in Jackson County, this Statu, 
and finally in Ingham County, where tliey 



Their son diaries was horn in Ohio, July 18, 1830, 
and was four years old when the family removed to 
this State. Leaving home at the age of 17, he worked 
out by the month at farming until 20 years old, and 
then bought a farm in Ingham County, which lie- 
worked until the fall of 1862. He then sold his 
Ingham County property, and came to Isabella 
County and bought 80 acres of wild land on sec- 
13, Coe Township. He afterward exchanged this 
for another 80 acres on the same section, and bought 
40 acres on section 14, where he now resides. He 
has now 70 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Ingham County, Oct. 29, 1849, 
to Jeannette, daughter of Hiram and Mary (Gerard) 
Austin, natives of the State of New York. She was 
born in Jackson County, this State, April 23, 1833, 
and is the mother of two children, — Lavant P. and 
Nora S. 

Mr. B. has been School Assessor of his district for 




19 consecutive years. Politically, he votes with and 
works for tlie Republican party. His wife is a mem- 
ber of the Disciples' Church. 



{fffiCIKilliam Swanston, farmer, section 7, Wise 
^^'-^^f 'lownship, was born March 15, 1851, in 
'ii'f-^'" Glasgow, Scotland. His parents, John 



and Elizabeth (Beck) Swanston, were also 
"Ivi)' natives of the capital city of Scotland, and 
^ emigrated with their family to Canada, where 

tlie mother died and where the father still resides. 

Mr. Swanston has been a resident of the United 
States since he was one year old. He continued to 
reside at home until the age of 20 years, when he 
came to Detroit. He remained there a year, and in 
1872 came to Isabella County, and has since been 
engaged in farming and lumbering. His estate com- 
prises 200 acres in Wise Township and 80 acres in 
Vernon Township, and he has 109 acres cleared and 
otherwise improved. In political sentiment Mr. 
Swanston is a Republican. 

He was married Oct. 21, 1876, in Canada, to 
Annie Wilson, who was born in the Dominion, April 
24, 1859. James A. and John A. are the names of 
their two children. Mrs. Swanston is a member of 
the Presbyterian Church. 



-j;i'^'j 




oseph B. Fox, farmer, section 8, Fremont 
J[ Township, is a son of William and Ellen 
'^ (lice Bird) Fox. The father is a native of 
England and was there born May i, 1795, and 
the mother was born on the Emerald Isle, in 
1821. The father followed the occupation of a 
farmer in his native country, and emigrated to the 
New World in the year 1829. He landed at New 
York city and from there moved to Hastings Co., 
Can., where he now resides, aged 87, and the mother 
63 years. 

Joseph B. Fox, the subject of our biographical 
notice, was born in Hastings Co., Can., Dec. 23, 
1842. He was reared on the farm, assisting his fa- 
ther and receiving the advantages afforded by the 
common schools of the country, until he attained the 
age of 16 years. On arrival at this age in life, he 



c^ 



>: 



() 



to) 



'VlD$^<|* 



J;>. 



<>nii:^iiD^>=^ 



j:^ 




■:^^^ 



-(^ 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 



"Ti^^^ 



4^^ 



iii^ 






>:> 



v 

s 



launched his life-boat on the sea of events and went 
forth to battle against the trials of life alone. He 
worked as a common laborer, for a gentleman in the 
neighborhood for i6 months, at $8 per month, and 
afterward followed various occupations until 1865; 
and during that year he came to this county and 
stopped at an old lumber camp, the property of a 
Mr. Whitney, of Detroit. He worked at this camp 
during the winters and in the summers worked on 
a farm in the neighborhood. In 1870 he purchased 
82 acres of land on section 8, Fremont Township, 
this county. There were ten acres of this land im- 
proved at the time of purchase, and at the present 
time Mr. Fox has 65 acres of his farm in a good 
state of cultivation. He built a large barn on the 
land in 1875 and the following year erected a fine 
house. His accumulations are but the reward of 
honest, energetic labor, and his success entitles him 
to a [X)sition among the progressive farmers of his 
township. 

Mr. Fox was wedded to the lady of his choice, 
Miss Jane Bushel, April 17, 187 i. She was bo^n in 
Hastings Co., Can., in 1847, and was the daughter 
of William and Mary (Bird) Bushel, natives of Ire- 
land. The falher died some 25 years ago, and the 
mother is still residing in Hastings County. 

The husband and wife are the parents of five 
children, namely : Martha E., born Dec. 3, 1872; 
Mary E., born April 8, 1875 ; William W., born Oct. 
12, 1877: Effie J., born May 12, 1879; Minnie E., 
born Jan. 22, 1882. 

Politically, Mr. Fox is a believer in and supporter of 
the principles of the Republican party. Socially, he 
is a member &f the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 257, 
Elm Hall. 



i^'® (IK ellington Irish, farmer on section 7, Coe 
Township, is a son of Smith and Ann E. 
(Rice) Irish, natives of New Yoik State 
and Connecticut. The parents settled in Gen- 
esee Co., Mich., and afterwards in Shiawassee 
County. Thence they returned to New York, 
where she died. May 15, 1862. He is spending his 
last years with his son Wellington, in this county. 

The sui)ject of this notice was born in Genesee 
County, this State, June 20, 1848, and remained with 





his parents until 15 years old. He was then employ- 
ed by the month on farms in New York and Michigan 
until 1874. He came to Isabella County in March, 
1875, and bought 40 acres of land on section 7, Coe 
Township, where he has since resided. He has now 
nearly all his land under cultivation. 

He was married in Livingston Co., Mich., Nov. 25, 
1874, to Josephine, daughter of Robert and Annis 
(Hunt) Bullis, natives of the State of New York. 
Mrs. Irish was born in Livingston Co., Mich., May 
27, 1852. She and her husband have had two chil- 
dren, of whom one died in infancy. Roy C. was born 
April 17, 1882. Mr. Irish is a member of the Ma- 
sonic fraternity, and is a supporter of the Republican 
party. 



'ohn A. Harris, cashier in the banking house 

jp of Brown, Harris & Co., at Mt. Pleasant, 

ll'^r';?''? -was born Sept. 23, 1842, in London, Eng- 
land. He is the son of William and Sarah 
(Heath) Harris, and his parents were born re- 
spectively in Cornwall and London. His father 
was a provision merchant in the city of London some 
years, and in 1852 came to America with his family, 
consisting of his wife and five children. He settled 
in Montcalm Township, Montcalm Co., Mich., where 
he bought 40 acres of land, and there resided until the 
spring of 1854, when he died. His family made that 
their home until 1866. The farm was all improved 
and in the best possible agricultural condition, when 
they moved to a farm they purchased in the north 
part of the township, which contained 200 acres of 
land. The father died in the city of New York, hav- 
ing left home on business. William E. Harris, eld- 
est child, and Henry G. Harris, fourth in order of 
birth, are both millers at Mt. Pleasant. Sarah A., 
third child, is now Mrs. Warner Churchill. Charlotte 
M. (Mrs. Lorenzo Kent) is the youngest born of 
the family. The husbands are both millers at Mt. 
Pleasant. 

Mr. Harris is the second child of his parents and 
remained with them until 1872, when he came to 
Mt. Pleasant, and, in company with his elder brother, 
built the Mt. Pleasant flouring mills, which are still 
under their control. They do merchant and custom 
work, and their mill has a manufacturing capacity of 







^ 



A 



c^: 



V 



r^ 






€)^^m^' 



■^■K^^ 



-^mM]\^>^ 



J:Si^:f:L. 



-^^^5f®A 



>»4 









(^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^ 



^loo barrels of flour daily. They are also engaged 
in heavy transactions in grain and ship to various 
points. The banking house of Brown, Harris & Co. 
was organized and commenced operations Jan. 12, 
1883, and in March of the same year, Mr. Harris 
withdrew from active supervision of his milling in- 
terests to assume the position of cashier, and has con- 
tinued to discharge the duties of that office. The 
business of the house is similar in character to like 
institutions, and is thriving and prosperous. 

Mr. Harris owns his residence and a half-interest 
in 30 acres of land attached to the mill. His mar- 
riage to Catherine Holmden occurred May 31, 1872, 
at Greenville, Montcalm County. She was born in 
Grand Rapids, and is the daughter of George and 
Hester Holmden. Cassius A., Hester, Edwin O. 
and John Glenn are the names of the four children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Harris. 




!?on. Samuel W. Hopkins, of Mt. Pleasant, 
S» is a son of Samuel and Freelove Burlingame 
(Arnold) Hopkins. The father was born in 
Coventry, R. I., Jan. 10, 1803, the son of Rufus 
I and Amy (Shippee) Hopkins. Rufus Hopkins 
was the sou of Esquire Samuel and Phebe (Case) 
Hopkins. Esquire Samuel Hopkins' father was Judge 
Samuel Hopkins, who was the son of Joseph Hop- 
kins. The last named married a daughter of Edward 
Whalley, one of the regicide judges who fled from 
England upon the restoration of Charles II. Judge 
Whalley lived and is buried upon Hopkins' Hill, West 
Greenwich, R. I. It is from this ancestor that the 
subject of this biography takes his middle name, 
spelling it with but one " 1," however. Most of the 
Hopkins family have been engaged in the great 
industry of Rhode Island, — cotton manufacturing. 

Mrs. Freelove Burlingame (Arnold) Hopkins was 
born in Warwick, R. I., Jan. 15, 1807, the daughter 
of Elijah and Sally (Gorton) Arnold. She was an 
only daughter, and had three brothers. Elijah 
.\rnold was the 17th child of James and Freelove 
(Burlingame) Arnold, and James Arnold was the son 
of Thomas Arnold, who bought a square mile of 
land in Warwick, R. I., and divided it into six farms. 
The mother of the subject of this sketch was born 





on the middle one of these (on Cowesett road), known 
as Arnold's Square. 

Mrs. Sally (Gorton) .\rnold, Mr. Hopkins' maternal 
grandmother, was the daughter of William and Sally 
(Whitford) Gorton. William Gorton was the son of 
Dr. Samuel Gorton, whose father was Samuel Gorton. 
This ancestor came to Massachusetts from England, 
and was called a heretic iiy the Puritans, who drove 
him from their colony. He bought a home of the 
Indians in Rhode Island and named it " Patuxet." 
He lived to be a centenarian. 

Samuel Hopkins, the father of Samuel W. Hop- 
kins, lived in the towns of Coventry, West Green- 
wich and Exeter, R. I., until 1857, extensively engaged 
in the manufacture of cotton goods. He built several 
mills, and was a prominent man in his section of the 
country. The great financial panic of r857, which 
engulfed so many thousands in the vortex of ruin 
and which affected to some degree every business 
man in the United States, was the end of his active 
business career. He had been a very energetic, 
shrewd man, of sanguine disposition and buoyant 
spirits, but this failure seemed to break his strength 
of mind. With the remnant of his means he bought 
80 acres of land in Coventry, Conn., where he lived 
a retired life until his death, Feb. 19, 1875. His 
family included nine children, — seven sons and two 
daughters. Seven of the nine lived to adult age. 

Samuel Whaley Hopkins, the youngest of the 
family, was born April i, 1845, in Exeter, R. I., where 
he lived until the age [ i years. He was very preco- 
cious, being able to read and spell when but three 
years of age. He attended the district school in Exeter 
for some time before leaving that town. In 1856 the 
family moved to Coventry, Conn. Here he studied 
in the district school and also received private in- 
struction from a Miss Mary K. Hutchinson. 

At the age of 15 he attended the Ellington Acad- 
emy, and the following year the academy at Man- 
chester. The ensuing winter he taught at Andover, 
then he sj)ent the summer at home on the farm, and 
the next winter he taught at Willimantic, Conn. 
After another summer at home he was for a month 
or so at Charleston, S. C, selling boots and shoes for 
a brother, then went to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend 
the Bryant & Stratton Business College. Soon after 
his arrival, Mr. Felton, resident Principal of the 
Bryant & Stratton school, and a Mr. Bigelow, estab- 



V$J 



r^ 






!■<>! 



A , 



II 



^ 



i 



^C^D!i^:Dt];i>^^ 



@ 



376 



'>) 

^1^ lished the Union Business College, from which Mr. 

'ii) Hopkins was graduated in the spring (1865). 

.'^ He was at home the summer of that year, sold 

i books in the fall, and taught school near home in the 
winter. The ensuing two years were spent partly at 
home and partly in selling books for Gurdon Bill 
and Henry Bill, publishers. In the fall of 1868 he 
taught a select school at Andover. He taught at 
Little Falls, N. J., the next two years. Daring 
the summer season he read law with Benezeret 
H. Bill, of Rockville, Conn. In the summer of 1870 
he studied law at home, and in the fall he entered 
the Law Department of the Michigan University. 
He took a two years' course at that institution, study- 
ing in the summer of 1871 with Hon. John M. H;ill, 
of Willimantic, Conn. 

He was graduated in March, 1872, and then vis- 
ited at home for a few weeks, after which he located 
temporarily at Grand Rapids, this State. There he 
was admitted to the Bar, but he was principally occu- 
pied in settling the estate of a Mr. Gardner. While 
at Clare, Clare County, making collections for the 
estate, he met the Hon. I. A. Fancher, of Mt. Pleas- 
ant, who induced him to make Isabella County his 
future home. These two gentlemen were partners in 
the practice of law for three years. Mr. Hopkins 
was then for two years connected with Michael Dev- 
eraux. Commencing with Jan. i, 1875, his partner 
was, for nearly two years. Wade B. Smith. He then 
associated with himself Free Estee, who had formerly 
studied law with him. Mr. H.'s health having 
failed, principally from mental overwork in the Leg- 
islature, his business was looked after almost entirely 
by his partners, first Mr. Smith, then Mr. Estee. He 
spent two summers at Higgins Lake, Roscommon 
County, and in the winter of 1881-2 visited his 
mother at Coventry, Conn., where he remained for 
six months. 

The first of January, 1883, he formed his present 
business com ecfion with Daniel E. Lyon. They do 
an extensive business in real estate, insurance and 
loans. In 1883 they loaned over $100,000. They 
represent 1 1 sound insurance companies, and do the 
largest business in that line in the county. 

Mr. Hopkins is politically a staunch Republican. 
He has always taken a deep interest in politics, and 
he has been and still is of great influence. He has 
served his community in numerous official positions, 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 






V 



f 



(^ 



% 



v^ 



^•\®))^$^i- ^^>^^ — e^-^D 3 :^: m^-y^ — ^=^*€^^ 



with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constit- 
uents. While in Coventry, Conn., he was, at the age 
of 22, elected a member of the 'Schojl Board, on 
both tickets, De.iiocratic and Republican. He served 
three years. In the early part of 1873 he was ap- 
pointed Clerk of Union Township, this county, to fill 
a vacancy, and the same spring he was elected to 
to that position. He was twice re-elected Clerk, and 
he also served seven years as Justice of the Peace. 
He also officiated a year or so as Deputy Township 
Clerk, while holding the latter office. He was for 
one term Superintendent of Schools at Mt. Pleasant, 
and for three years Chairman of the Board of School 
Trustees. He was the first Village .Attorney of Mt. 
Pleasant. 

In 1875-6 he served the county as Prosecuting 
.Attorney. During his term he literally reformed the 
village of Loomis, which had become infested with 
criminals and law-breakers. He was also instru- 
mental in breaking up an organization known as the 
Knights of Agriculture, which had been formed for ^L 
proper purposes but which had drifted into the 
management of bad men. He also defended the 
county against an injunction brought by the authori- 
ties of Vernon Township (to which Clare county had 
been attached) in a matter involving a large sum of 
tax money. He afterwards, in the Legislature, de- 
fended the county in a similar case against the 
counties of Mecosta and Midland, to each of which 
a moiety of Isabella County was formerly attached 
for municipal purposes. This matter brought on a 
hard-fought struggle of four weeks in the Legisla- 
ture, and at every step Mr. Hopkins won. 

He was elected to the Legislature first in the fall &> 
of 1876, running against Henry H. Graves, and took $- 
his seat in January following. He was a member of /j 
the Committees on Judiciary. Public Lands and Liquor 
Traffic. During this session he introduced a bill 
making libel a crime. This measure passed the 
House, but was killed in the Senate. In the fall of 
1878 he was re-elected to the House, taking his seat 
in January, 1879. He was at this time a member of ^1 
the C'omniittee on Judiciary, and Chairman (though J 
youngest member) of the most important committee i-' . 
of the session — Special Joint Committee on Taxa- (i\ 
tion. In this he was associated with Messrs. Hall, s^ 
Stanchfield, Ferguson and Kuhn, of the House, and (V", 
three of the ablest members of the Senate, — J. W, ^ 



c 



c< 



( 



-^4^m^j^ 



IB-/^i>)^^ 



I 
f 






.-C". 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 



"Z^-Qi/^^ 






>J 



V 



f 

'i 

^ 






Cliilds, of Washtenaw, James W. Cochrane, of Mid- 
land, and George A. Farr, of Ottawa. They pre- 
pared and introduced a bill reorganizing the tax 
system of the State. This bill passed the House, but 
was lost in the Senate. The next year a commis- 
sion was appointed by the Governor, which carried 
into effect the provisions of the law now in force, 
which are much like those in Mr. Hopkins' bill. 

Mr. Hopkins would have been sent to the Senate, 
but the failure of his health forbade his acceptance. 
He has been for the last six years Chairman of the 
Republican County Committee, and this position he 
now fills. In the fall of 1882 he was unanimously 
nominated for the office of Prosecuting Attorney. 
Not desiring this position, he made no canvass, and 
his opponent, Charles T. Russell, was elected. In 
1877 he was nominated for President of the Village. 

Mr. Hopkins platted an addition to Mt. Pleasant 
in 1874, on the south, known as " Hopkins' Addi- 
tion." 

He was married at Jerusalem, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1873, 
to Miss Margaretta, eldest daughter of Rev. Dr. 
Edwin Vedder and Ida (Williams) Vedder. Dr. V. 
is a native of Schenectady, N. Y., and his wife, of 
New Jersey, and both live at Jerusalem, Albany Co., 
N. Y. Mrs. Hopkins was born Feb. i, 1846, at Lit- 
tle Falls, N. J., and lived successively at that place, 
Berne, Middleburg, Gallupville, Schoharie and New 
Scotland. All these places but the first are in the 
State of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins have 
had one son, Herbert Vedder, born at Mt. Pleasant, 
Aug. 21, 1876, and died at Jerusalem, N. Y., Aug. 4, 
1877. Mrs. H. is a Presbyterian, and Mr. H. is a 
member of the Unitarian Society, of which he has 
been for two years Vice-President. In 1884, Mr. 
Hopkins was chosen Alternate to the Chicago Con- 
vention that nominated Blaine and Logan. 

The portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are pre- 
sented on other pages of tiiis work. 



«v iram T. Hall, farmer on section 9, Coe Town- 
! lip, is a son of Tlioinas and Annie (Ral- 
iiiii) Hall, natives of the United States and 
& Ireland respectively. The parents settled in 
Cayuga Co., N. Y., afterwards removing to On- 
tario County, where they died, he Dec. 6, 1857, 
and she Nov. 7, 1866, nearly nine years afterward. 



377^ 



The subject of this biography was born in Cayuga 
Co., N. Y., May 11, 181 7, and was quite young when 
his parents removed to Ontario County. He received 
a common English education, and assisted largely 
in the support of his parents, especially in their de- 
clining years. He remained in Ontario County till 
about 1867, and then lived for two years in the State 
of Wisconsin. In February, 1870, he came to Isa- 
bella County and bought 53 acres of land in Coe 
Township, where he has since resided, having now 
26 acres improved. 

He was married at Richmond, Ontario Co., N. Y., 
May 9, 1852, to Ellis, daughter of Thomas and Jane 
(Skeldon) Todd, natives of England and Canada. 
Mrs. Hall was born in Canada, April 4, 1834. She 
and her husband have had born to them a family of 
nine: Mary A., Aug. i, 1853; Carrie J., Oct. 31 , 
1855 (died April 16, 1874, at the age af 18); Olive 
E., May 18, 1858; Phebe E., May 14, i860; Emma 
J., Oct. 30, 1862 ; Ella A. and Nellie I. (twins), March 
18, 1865 ; William T., May 21, 1867 ; Lillie E., May 
12, 1870. 

Politically, Mr. H. is a Democrat. 



t 



e' 



c; 



$>: 



4^ 



( 



V 



asi;.? 



^mr^. 



T'l'fed^enry Burr, farmer and stock-raiser, section 
' -^yyl: y^, Lincoln Township, and one of the lead- 
y^^ ing and representative men of the county, 
(h was born in Plymouth, Wayne County, this State, 
i Aug. 31, 1837. The parents of Mr. Burr were 
I Ambrose and Mary (Jones) Burr, natives of 
Connecticut and of English and Welsh descent. The 
father claimed a close connection to the (Quakers 
who settled in New England. He was a farmer and ^ - 
drover in the New England States and came from <^ , 
there to this State and located in Wayne County ' 
when the same was but little settled and the hand of 
improvement was hardly visible. He now makes his 
home with our subject, aged 79 years. His mother 
died in this county Jan. 15, 1876. 

Henry lived at home in his native county until he 
was 18 years of age. He was engaged in assisting '(S) 
his father on the farm and received the advantages i 
afforded by the common schools. On arriving at that •^* 
age he went to work by the month, whicii he continued (I-. 
for two years, and until the breaking out of the late ^ 
war. He then enlisted in Co. H, First Mich. Cav., (w:^ 
Col. Broadhead, and was assigned to the Army ^ 



m 



Wfi 



=^<^a a y> m^-^r^ — >€J-^' 



378 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^ 



/ 



"y! of the Potomac. He participated in three general 
iiij) engagements, namely : second battle of Bull Run 
•''c» (Aug. 30, 1862), Gettysburg (July i, 2, 3, 1863) and 
^ Winchester, Va. (Sept. 19, 1864). He also partici- 
pated in many other smaller battles and skirmishes, 
in which his company was engaged. At the battle of 
Gettsyburg he was wounded by a ball crushing the 
joint of the index finger of the left hand. He was 
promoted Commissary Sergeant early in 1863, and 
Dec. 31, 1863, he re-enlisted. 

At Winchester he was again wounded, tjiis time by 
a gunshot breaking the arm above the wrist. He was 
finally discharged for disability, at St. Louis, Mo., 
June 15, 1865. 

After his discharge from the service Mr. Burr came 
to this State, and Feb. 19, 1866, in Washtenaw 
County, he was united in marriage to Miss Alice D., 
daughter of William A. and Elizabeth (Skidmore) 
Jones, natives of Genesee Co., N. Y., and of Welsh 
parentage. Alice D. was born in Dexter, Washtenaw 
County, this State, Feb. 8, 1842. She lived under 
the parental roof-tree, assisting her mother until the 
■=3 latter's death in her household duties, and attending 
^ the common schools of the county, until her marriage 
to Mr. Burr. Her mother died when she was 15 
years of age, and she kept house for her father, im- 
proving her leisure moments with study. Her edu- 
cation was not neglected, and her refinement is 
indicative of what energy and determination may 
accomplish. 

Mr. and Mrs. Burr are the parents of four children, 
one of whom is deceased. The living are. Amy H., 
born Sept. 13, i868; Elmer W., Feb. 8, 1873; Cora 
C, Aug. 19, 1880 ; Edith M., born April 9, 1867, and 
died April 29, 187 i. 

One year after marriage Mr. Burr moved to Jack- 
son County, this State, where he remained for two 
years and then removed to Pontiac, Oakland Co., 
where he engaged in the dairy business. While in 
this he milked 44 cows and supplied more than 160 
families with milk. 

In the winter of 1869 Mr. Burr removed to this 
county and purchased 80 acres of heavily timbered 
land, on section 30, Lincoln Township. He ex- 
perienced the obstacles and trials of the early \no- 
neer, but with a firm faith in the future development 
of the county and an abundance of determination, 
he overcame them all and lias at the present time 70 
acres of his land in a good state of cultivation. He 










i 



',^ 



has lately erected a residence on the farm, costing \' 
him $2,200, and his hearthstone is surrounded with 
peace, plenty and happiness. Mrs. Burr is connected <- • 
with the Methodist Episcopal Church. '' 

Politically, Mr. Burr is inclined to the principles 
and doctrines of the Republican party. He held the 
office of Supervisor in 1879, also Justice of the Peace 
and other minor offices of his township. 




% 

' — ' 

• * • 



^^f\^m^ 



illiam B. Bowen, farmer on section 16, 

^^ Coe Township, is a son of James and Jane 

Ji^ * (Westfall) Bowen, natives of Rhode Island 

'' and New Jersey. The parents settled in 

Bradford Co., Pa., and afterwards removed to 

\ Oswego, N. Y., where he died. She died in 

Coe Township, Aug. 15, 1879, at the advanced age 

of 88. 

Their family comprises 1 1 children. William B., 
the eldest son, was born in Bradford Co., Pa., June 
28,1815. He received a rudimentary English edu- 
cation in the common schools, and at the age of 16 
went out to work by the month, which he did until 
he was 25 years old. He then rented a farm in 
Monroe Co., N. Y., for two years, and then another 
farm in the same county for one year, when he came 
to Columbus, Ohio, and was for a year overseer in a 
mill. In 1843 he came to Lenawee Co., Mich., and 
bought a farm, which he worked a year and then 
sold. He built a house in Adrian, in which he lived 
four years, his occupation being teaming and lumber- 
ing. He afterwards bought and sold several farms > 
in that county. In October, 1854, he came to Isa- ^^ 
bella County and took up 80 acres of Government 
land on section 9, Coe Township. He built a log 
house, and returned to Lenawee County for his 
family, who came on in February of the following 
year. After four years' residence, he removed East 
with his family, with the purpose of educnting his 
children, and lived 12 years in Tioga Co., Pa., en- 
gaged in lumbering and in mercantile pursuits. He 
sold his Isabella farm in i860. In 1870, he returned 
to tills county and bought 40 acres on section 16, 
where he now resides. Nearly all of this farm is 
now under cultivation. 

Dec. 2, 1840, in Monroe Co., N. Y., he was united 
in marriage with Sarah H., daughter of Elisha and 






r 



(t 



<^[ia>:i]tii>-^ 



.-^^^ 







-as^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"Z^^^ST 



f 

T 

6 



Rosina (Lawrence) Stewart, natives of Rensselaer 
Co., N. Y. She was born in Sweden, Monroe Co., 
N. Y., Dec. 7, 1818. Of their six children, only two 
survive, — Eugene S. and Rosina J. The deceased 
are Alice C, Emma R., Delphine and Emeline R. 

Mr. B. was the first Supervisor of Coe Township, 
to which office he was elected in the spring of 1857. 
He has been Highway Commissioner three years. 
Drain Commissioner three years and a school officer 
two years. He is a Good Templar, and a strong 
temperance man. He is a Republican, and with his 
wife belongs to the Baptist Church. Of this religious 
society, he has been for 16 years Deacon, and is 
now Clerk and 'I'reasurer. 




% 

m. 



J,,arvey J. Koons is a farmer on section 22, 

t ss»/-.«» Deerfield Township. His father, George 

^1^*^ Koons, was a native of Pennsylvania, and 

died in April, 1853. His mother, Chloe (Wei- 

mer) Koons, also a native of the Keystone State, 

I is still living, in Athens, Athens Co., Ohio. 

In the last named county, Dover Township, Har- 
vey J. was born. When 23 years of age, he came 
with his mother and step-father to this county, arriv- 
ing May 29, 1864, and settling on his present farm, 
where he has lived ever since, with the exception of 
about six years in Saginaw and Ohio. He once ex- 
changed the farm for a house and lot in Ovid, Clin- 
ton County, this State, but shortly afterward ex- 
changed again, taking possession of his present jilace 
a second time. 

March 23, i858, on the " Mission Farm," by 
Father Sheldon (a missionary to the Indians), Mr. 
Koons was married to Mrs. Louisa, widow of Harris 
H. Caldwell, and the children since born to them 
are: Frank Ami, born Jan. 12, 1869; and Lucy Lil- 
lian, Aug. 23, 1875. Mrs. K., whose maiden name 
was Boyden, was born Oct. 10, 1836, in Macomb 
Co., Mich., and when four or five years old moved 
with her parents to Dryden, Michigan, where, 10 or 
12 years afterward, June 18, 1854, she was married, 
and moved to Volga City, Clayton Co., Iowa. Eight 
years afterward they moved to Maple Rapids, Mich., 
and one year later moved to this county, homestead- 
ing a quarter section of land in the township of Lin- 
coln. Mr. Caldwell commenced working for I. E. 



Arnold, and during the ensuing winter was drowned 
in the Chippewa River, near the Bradley bridge. 
His children were, Herbert C, born Oct. 8, 1856, 
and Alice J., Aug. i, 1859. 

On the preceding page is a portrait of Mr. Koons, 
as that of a representative citizen of Isabella County. 




•nDSSSlM^r 



'^^ifUtm^ 




\P. 






c< 






[nthony McKay, farmer and stock-raiser, 
Xs, section ig, Lincoln Township, was born in t^- 
Northumberland Co., N. B., on the Mira- fj 
michi River, Nov. 22, 1822. 

The parents of Mr. McKay were Donald 
and Zilpha (Rogers) McKay, natives of New 
Brunswick and of Scotch e.xtraction. Mr. McKay's 
paternal grandfather was a member of the 74th 
Highlanders, a regiment the members of which, after 
serving against the rebellious colonies, settled in 
New Brunswick, on land given them by the king. 
Donald McKay's occupation was that of a lumber- 
man, and he continued to follow the same in his 
native country until the time of his death. The 
mother is supposed to be still living, in California. 

Anthony lived at home, in New Brunswick, assist- 
ing his father in the maintenance of the family and 
attending, as time would permit, the common school, 
until he attained the age of 17 years. He spent the 
greater portion of his time until he had attained the 
age stated in "log-driving" on the St. John's River, 
and has driven them 300 miles. When 17 years of 
age he left home and engaged in the same occupation 
in Maine. He continued this in Maine for a period 
of 17 years, and during that time worked for the well 
known lumberman, E. G. Dunn, of that State, a \>o\- 
tion of the time as manager of their drive. 

In the fall of 1857, Mr. McKay came to this State 
and located in Gladwin County. While there he 
engaged himself to Newell Barnard & Co., lum- 
bermen, eight miles above the mouth of the Tobacco 
River, and was in their employ until 1859, when he 
went to Gratiot County and worked for Joshua Dunn, 
of Seville Township. He afterward bought a tract 
of 300 acres of land in that county, and in the year 
1874 exchanged the same tor 80 acres in this county, 
Lincoln Township, section 19. To this he has added 
80 acres by purchase, and of the 160 he has 65 acres 



{ 



i^^-e^® 



^<^!1!1^I 



]^?>-£-^ •:^>^^ «4^^5f(®>® 



[^ = 



®>5^t#' 



r<:>tlti:^Ill|vi>v 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



r 






\ 



■^ 



I 



ill a good state of cultivation. He has erected a 
good residence and substantial barn on his land, 
and has met witli signal success in his agricultural 
affairs. 

Mr. McKay was united in marriage in July, 1868, 
in Gratiot Co., this State, to Miss L. Cranfield, a 
native of the State of New York, where she was born 
Nov. I, 1840. She is a member of the United 
Brethren Church. Mr. and Mrs.- M. have two ad- 
opted children, named Lydia and Phineas respect- 
ively. In politics Mr. B. is a supporter of and 
believer in the principles of the Republican party. 




-J3 






7~T 



ei- 



||o.dward E. Alvord, farmer on section 28, 
Coe Townshi|), is a son of Justus 
and Hannah (Thorpe) Alvord, natives of 
the State of Massachusetts. The parents re- 
moved from the Bay State to New York, and 
later settled in Williams Co., Ohio, where he 
died, Sept. 9, 1868, and she July 31, 187 1. 
Their eight children were named : Mary, Hiram B., 
David H., Justus H., Edward E., Nathan \., Eli L. 
and Henry D. 

The subject of this notice, the fourth son, was born 
in Allegany Co., N. Y., April 18, 1831, and was 11 
years old when his parents removed to Ohio. He 
lived at home until 22 years old, then worked out by 
the month one year, and then for two years followed 
different occupations. Ne.\t, he bought a farm in 
Hillsdale County, where he lived four years. Rent- 
ing it for two years, he then returned to Williams 
County and carried on his father's farm. He then 
lived on his own farm a year and a half, when he 
sold, went to Iowa and bought 320 acres of wild 
land in Linn County. After two years' residence in 
the Hawkeye State, he returned to this State and 
bought 80 acres in Pine River Township, Gratiot 
County. He lived there 18 months, and in the 
spring of 1869 sold and removed to Salt River, this 
county. Forming a i)artnership with Henry Struble, 
he opened a general provision store. 

After eight months, he bought out Mr. Struble, and 
conducted the business alone for a year. Disposing 
then of his business, he was for four years engaged 
in various pursuits, principally jobbing. He soon 



after bought 160 acres of wild land on section 28, 
Coe, but continued to reside at Salt River, on account 
of educational advantages, until July, 1880. He then 
moved on his farm, where he has since made his 
home. He has now 46 acres in a highly satisfactory 
state of cultivation. 

He was married in Medina, Lenawee Co., Midi., 
Feb. 29, 1856, to Belinda, daughter of Jabez and 
Keziah (Birkhinie) Jones, natives respectively of Vir- 
ginia and Pennyslvania. She was born in Ross Co., 
Ohio, March 16, 1832. Seven children have been 
added to the household, of whom the following five 
survive : Henry D., Hannah K., Mary C, Sarah 
J. and Ella M. Abraham L. and Edward S. are 
deceased. 

Mr. and Mrs. Alvord are members of the Univer- 
salis! Church. Politically, he has heretofore been a 
Republican, liut he now supports the National party. 




I 



^ 



f 



A 



c^: 



ackson Alexander, farmer, section 26, 
'^ Coldwater Township, was born July 4, = 
[827, in Washington Co., Pa., and is the V/ 
son of John and Mary (Harden) Alexander, 
^r both of whom were natives of the Keystone 
I" State. The father was born in March, 1797, 
and died April 27, 1881. The motlier was born Nov. 
30, 1800, and died Jan 19, 1884. In 1829, the par- 
ents removed to Jefferson Co., Ohio, where the fa- 
ther purchased a limbered tract, which he put in dm 
agricultural condition, with the aid of his son, whose V 
labors were necessary to that work, and the main- 
tenance of the family from a very early age. 

At 18 years of age, Mr. Alexander became his own 
master, and he went to Stark Co.. Ohio, where he 
spent three years as a farm laborer. In 1854 he 
went to Elkhart Co., Ind., wheie he engaged in job 
work, both laborious and profitable. He was married 
May 15, 1856, to Louisa, daughter of John T. and ^ 
Nancy (Carpenter) Wilson. Her parents were natives f 
of Ohio, where they passed their entire lives. Mr. ,<■•-.. 
and Mrs. Alexander soon after their marriage set (iy 
out for Fillmore Co., Minn., with the purpose of es- v' 
tablishinga iiome on the prairies, but the country not /> 
meeting their expectation they returned to Elkhart, ^ 



h 



^^^^ 



m\ 



H>V^' 



r??- 



-f^^5f®Ai^ 



:i^S/^®^$^^i— 



T^-T- 



mm\ 



^= 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-Zi^^ 






^ 



i 









» 



^ 



Ind., where they passed the ensuing three years in 
farming. 

Mr. Alexander liecaiiie a soldier in tlie second 
year of the civil war, enlisting Aug. lo, 1862, in Co. 
G., 74th Ind. Vol. Inf. The regiment was assigned 
to the Army of the Cumberland, and was in action in 
most of tlie battles and ^kirjiiishes from Chattanooga 
to the surrender of Joe Johnston. The principal en- 
gagements were at Perryville, Tullahoma, Chickamau- 
ga. Peach-tree Creek, Jonesboro and Kenesaw Moun- 
tain. Mr. Alexander received two wounds during 
the first day's fight at Chickamauga; one in the neck 
from a stray shot in a flank movement by the rebels, 
early in the day, and a second, about four in the af- 
ternoon, in the right arm above the elbow. He was 
mustered out of the service June 21, 1865, and re- 
turned home. 

He spent a year on a rented farm, and the last days 
of October, 1866, came to Isabella Co., Mich. He at 
once entered the first papers on the property which has 
since been his home, and in May, 1867, he returned 
and built his house. In September following, he 
came hither with his wife and three children. 

The journey from Elkhart with a team was a mem- 
orable one and characteristic of the variety of in- 
cidents in pioneer life. The distance traversed was 
200 miles. They made the route without mishap 
until near Schafer's tavern, 27 miles north of Ionia, at 
the edge of a piece of pine woods, 17 miles in extent, 
which they reached one day about noon. They 
cooked their dinner, and hoped to get through the 
woods before dark. There was no road ; only a blazed 
tree now and then marked the route which wound 
in every possible direction to avoid trees. At dark 
they had traversed but half the distance, and they 
encamped on the bank of the Pine River. After 
breakfast, they set out, but had gone only half a mile 
when one of the hind wheels of the wagon "dished" 
inwards and forced five spokes out of the felloe. A 
man passed them soon after, and with his aid Mr. 
Alexander bound staves on the wheel rim and started 
on. The wheel soon gave out again, and Mr. A. cut 
a sapling and bound the larger end to the front axle. 
On this he rested the hind axle while the bush end of 
the sapling dragged on the ground. This failed to 
work well, and the draught upon his team being too 
great he concluded to leave his family and seek as- 
sistance. He walked seven miles to the house of a 




Mr. Garnett, where he could obtain a wagon but no 
team. So he returned for his team, hoping to be 
back with the wagon to his family before dark. He 
started back, but in the night, which overtook him 
before he had made much progress, his team stopped, 
and Mr. Alexander found a fallen pine obstructed 
the route. Further progress was impossible and he 
sat in the wagon all night, his thoughts busy with his 
wife and children six miles away, whom he knew to 
be in mortal terror of bears and Indians. The first 
streak of light found him on the way to his family, 
whom lie found in safely, and his wife engaged in 
cooking the morning meal. They had suffered much 
from terror during the early part of the night, but fa- 
tigue overruled fear and, commending herself and 
her sleeping children to Him who was her only stay, 
the wife and mother at last fell asleep. They moved 
forward to Mr. Garnett's, where Mr. Alexander spent 
two days in labor, to pay for the use of the wagon to 
convey them to their destination. 

Their claim was located near that of Mr. H. A 
Brubaker, where they hoped to obtain shelter, until a 
roof could lie put on their own house. They reached 
Mr. Brubaker's about 10 o'clock at night, received a 
cordial welcome, and, after a substantial supper, re- 
tired to the bed of their huts. The kindness and en- 
couragement they met with were a great relief, and 
lifted a heavy burden from their hearts. Mr. Alex- 
ander returned the rented wagon and took his own 
to Millbrook for repairs. He set out for Elkhart for 
another load of goods, which he obtained, and when 
within five miles of his home, on his return, the oth- 
er hind wheel gave out. He left his load, obtained a 
wagon from Mr. Brubaker, and, in company with his 
wife, went back for his goods, which he found all 
there save a dish of wagon grease. They loaded up 
and started back, but had gone but half a mile when 
the wagon tipped over. Darkness set in before they 
were ready to move on again, and Mr. Alexander 
took the lead, while his wife drove the team. Half a 
mile from home they were met by Mr. Brubaker with 
a lantern and a basket of lunch. This permanent re- 
cord of kindness received from their friend but poorly 
expresses their sense of an indebtedness which was 
its own reward. In a few days the family of Mr. Al- 
exander were under the shelter of their own roof and 
entered ujwn their struggle in the wilderness. 

During the first year of his residence in Isabella 



V^ 



1 



0) 



t 



!;^V®)5^# 



^:-?"X<7:_ 




^iif%ir^«i^ 



TC^DD:$:iiO>.>v-T- :2^U^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■h 



^ 



M 



(^ 



County, Mr. Alexander paid $34.50 for a barrel of 
pork, while the next year he could buy fresh pork for 
$1 1 a hundred ; for flour he paid the first year $18 a 
barrel, for seed potatoes $1.50 a bushel, and for 
wheat, $2.50 a bushel. 

Following is the record of the children, eight in 
number, born to Mr. and Mrs. Alexander: Mary 
Kllen, Aug. 10, 1857, at Fillmore, Minn.; Hattie 
Margaretta, May 10, 1 860 ; Frances Elizabeth, Oct. 4, 
1862; Lulu Lorenia, March 9, 1867 (died the day 
following). The three last named children were born 
in Elkhart, Ind.; Alice Carrie was liorn Feb. 6, 187 i ; 
Jessie Blanche, June 15, 1874; Amy Adell, July 22, 
1876; Harvey Maynard, Dec. 29, 1879 (died Jan, 7, 
1880). These four were born in Coldwater Town- 
ship. 



i saac B. Christie, lumber inspector, resident 
at Mt. Pleasant, was born Dec. 16, 1844, in 
Kemptville, Can., and is a son of Robert 
and Maria (Boyd) Christie. His father had 
extensive lumber interests in Canada, and was 
a heavy manufacturer in the Dominion. He 
is still interested in the same business in the North- 
west, and in addition to his lumber traffic lie is also 
a principal stockholder in a banking house at Duluth 
and in one in Manitoba. 

Mr. Christie's first venture was when he was 14 
years old, when he went to Buffalo and engaged as a 
book-keeper in the grocery house of Beebe Bros., 
where he remained about 18 months. He was a 
precocious scholar and completed a course of study 
in the Normal School at Toronto and graduated 
at Bates' Commercial College in the same city. 
After leaving Buffalo he traveled to different portions 
of the country and has visited nearly every section of 
the United States. He engaged as Principal of the 
Listowel, Ont., school, where he officiated six years. 
On the termination of his duties there he came to 
Saginaw and commenced business as a lumber in- 
spector, with which business he was wholly familiar 
from his early associations with his father's transac- 
tions in lumber. He has continued the pursuit of 
inspector and scaler and issues his business card as: 
"I. B. Christie, Lumber Inspector. Trespasses 
carefully computed and timber estimated. Office, 




with Leaton & Upton, Mt. Pleasant." He is the 
only inspector in Isabella County and has his cre- 
dentials from the Saginaw Inspecting Company. 
He is ranked among the best of his profession in the 
Saginaw Valley. 



homas Parrish, farnieron section 12, Broom- 
Township, is a son of Harrison and Mar- 
garet (Smith) Parrish, natives of the Stale 
of New York. His mother was born in 182 i 
and died in 1854. His father is living and oc- 
cupied as a drayman in Bay City. 
The subject of this sketch was born Aug. 9, 1845, 
in Livingston Co., N. Y., and is the only one living 
of his father's three children. He came to this 
county in 187 i, and located 40 acres on section 12, 
Broomfield, after working for a time in various lum- 
ber camps. He was married Oct. 10, 1882, to Miss 
Eunice Millard, daughter of Hiram and Cornelia 
Millard, the former of whom is deceased, and the 
latter lives in Canada. Mr. P. has by a former mar- 
riage one son, James, born June 9, 1868, in Wayne 
Co., Mich. Mr. P. has been Pathmaster in his dis- 
trict; and is politically a Democrat. 








A 



< 



^-V<?)K;h-- 



-iV??#^- 



<' 



c 



r'ohn Delo, farmer, section 19, Fremont 
'ir Township, was born in Germany, on 
Thanksgiving Day, 18 17. His parents, 
Frederick and Christina Delo, were natives of 
Germany, where they both died. The son 
came to this country in 1852 and landed at 
Quebec, Can. From Quebec he went to Hamilton, 
Hamilton Co., Can., and was there engaged in work- 
ing on the Great Western Railroad for a time, when 
he crossed the Niagara and was occupied in labor at 
various things for some time and was there taken 
sick. His means having been exhausted, he was 
sent to the poor house. He remained there for a '£ 
month and, on recovery, crossed the river into Can- i 
ada and engaged in cutting cord wood and splitting «sj'; 
rails. He remained in Canada, variously occupied, 
until 1 86 1, when he came to this State and county 
and located on an 80-acre tract of land. He had 
great faith in the future development of this county 



fF- 






"^^W 

.^.J^ 




A/nfJd 







^h/^^^^^ 



I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-i^^jf^^ii 



387 



^ 






/* 
/S 






and threw all his energy into clearing and improving 
his land. Subsequently he added, by purchase, 40 
acres to his original tract, and now has about 100 
acres in a good state of cultivation. In 187 6 he built 
himself a large barn, and in 1879 erected a residence 
on his land which cost him $2,000. That honest 
effort brings reward, one can see in the prosperity 
attained by the subject of this notice. From want 
and penury he has attained a plenty, and, sitting 
around the hearthstone of content, he smiles at the 
trials of the past. 

Mr. Delo was first wedded in Germany, where his 
wife died, leaving hini two children, Fred and Charlie. 
He was again married, the lady of his choice being a 
Miss Caroline Hire, to whom he was married in 
1854, and by whom he has had eight children, 
namely : John, Minnie, Mary, William, Caroline 
(deceased), Hettie, Emma and Asa. 

The father and mother are both members of the 
Methodist Church. Politically, Mr. Delo is a Re- 
publican. 




^ichael Roberts, farmer on section 10, 
Coe Township, is a son of Joseph and 
Mary (Toomey) Roberts, natives of Ire- 
''^^ land. The parents came from the Emerald 
Isle to Quebec, Can., and later to Detroit. 
After a short stay in that city and in Windsor) 
they went to Oakland Co., Mich., where they resided 
two years. In the fall of 1855 they came to Isa- 
bella County and settled in Coe Township, where 
they lived until their death. .She departed lliis lifu 
in November, 1865, and he in March, 1S67. Their 
family numbered seven, and Micliael was the 
youngest. 

He was born in Ireland, Jan. 6, 1846, and was 
about five years old when his parents came to Can- 
ada, and nine years old when they settled in this 
county. He lived with his parents until their death, 
and inherited the farm of 160 acres on section 10, 
on which he now lives, with 100 acres under good 
cultivation. 

He was married in Hubbardston, Mich., Feb. 23, 
1868, to ('atherine, daughter of Michael and Susanna 
(Hines) Leslrange, natives of Ireland. Mrs. R. was 
born in Monroe Co., N. Y., April 30, 1851, and is 



the mother of four children, — Joseph W., Michael, 
Susanna and Agnes. 

Mr. R. is a Democrat, and, with his wife, is a 
member of the Catholic Church. 



^^ 



V 



1/ 









*^- 

ik'MI,;^ eorge W. De Puy, farmer on section 7, 
is Union, is a son of Elias and Judith 
(Brookins) De Puy, both of whom were born 
in the State of New York, and died in Mont- 
calm Co., Mich. He v/as born in Lysander, 
Onondaga Co., N. Y., Nov. 2, 1830, and lived 
with his parents until 27 years old. 

On attaining his legal majority, he formed a part- 
nership with his father, under the name of E. De 
Puy & Co. Their business was farming, and running 
a saw and grist mill. In the spring of 1S58 he came 
to Ionia Co., Mich., and rented a farm, on which he 
lived until the winter of 1860-1. He then went to 
California by way of New York and Panama. He 
had a very rough passage, and was 22 days in mak- 
ing the trip from New York to San Francisco. The 
first summer after his arrival he worked at farming 
near Sacramento, and the ensuing winter he was in a 
quartz mill. The ne.xt summer he was employed at 
farming near Virginia City. He worked nine months 
for the Ophir Mining Company; then a year in Dum 
& Coover's gold canyon; and then a year and a half 
in a quartz mill a mile and a half from Carsor. City. 
Returning to the Peninsular State, in 1864, he 
bought a farm of 80 acres in Ionia County. After a 
time he came to Bloomer Township, Montcalm 
County, and bought i6o acres, 40 of which were 
improved. On this place he remained until 1874, 
when he exchanged for his present farm of 240 acres, 
130 of which are improved. Politically, Mr. De Puy 
is a Republican. 

He was married Feb. 18, 1857, to Miss Louisa L., 
daugliter of John W. and Catherine (Appleton) 
Dickerson. The latter is yet living, but the former 
died April 5, 1865. Of four children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. De Puy, two are living, and two deceased. 
Anna L. was born Jan. 23, 1857, in Bridgewater 
Township, Williams Co., Ohio; Ida Jane was born 
Oct. 8, 1858, died in the same county, December S, 
1859, and is buried in Muir; Elmer Ellsworth was 
born July 22, 1865; Burton C. was born Aug 29, 






M 



m 



#• 






% 



388 



ISABELLA 



^ 



1868, and died Aug. 29, 1869,111 Bloomer Township, 
M Montcalm County. 

Mr. De Puy's portrait, as that of a representative 
of the substantial farmers of Union Township and 
Isabella County, is a valuable addition to the picto- 
rial galaxy of this Album. 







rving E. Arnold, a pioneer settler of Isa- 
bella County, now resident at Salida, CoL, 
was born March 19, 1835, in Herkimer Co., 
N. Y., and is the son of Dexter and Olive (Kim- 
ball) Arnold. The same year, 183^, his father 
and family removed to Ionia County and lo- 
cated on the present site of Ionia. In 1857 Mr. Ir- 
ving Arnold settled in Isabella County. Soon after, 
he contracted with the Government to build five 
school-houses and two churches for the use of the 
Indians in this county. This contract was carried 
out with difficulty, as nails, sash, doors, glass, etc., 
were brought up the Saginaw River in an Indian 
canoe. 

In 1859 he located in Union Township, this coun- 
ty, where he bought 40 acres of land on section 15, 
which was then in the depths of the forest. He built 
a frame house, which is still in being and was the 
second erected on the site of the village of Mt. Pleas- 
ant. He cleared 20 acres of his farm and remained 
a resident upon it until 1863. 

He was married in May, i860, to Adelaide M. 
Ferris. Dexter F. Arnold, only issue of this mar- 
riage, was born April 15, T862, and was the first 
child born in the village of Mt. Pleasant. (See 
sketch of Dexter F. Arnold.) The mother died in 
May following. Mr. Arnold was again married Aug. 
19, 1863, to Susan E. Foy. Of the second marriage 
three children were born, one of whom, Walter D., 
is deceased. Nellie H. and Kinnie are, respectively, 
the oldest and youngest in order of birth. 

Mr. Arnold went to Isabella City in 1S64, where 
he spent a few years operating in lumber. In 1867 
he returned to Mt. Pleasant. In 1870 he was ap- 
pointed County Surveyor to fill a vacancy, and the 
same fall he was elected to that office, which he held 
two years, operating quite extensively in lumber. In 
1872-3 he opened an abstract office and combined 
operations in real estate with lumbering. During 



=— — ^ 
f 



eight years he was in partnership with H. Rich and 
W. D. Arnold, of Ionia, in real-estate business. In 
1878 he formed an association with A. B. Uplon in 
the same line, which relation existed about 18 months. 
He removed to Colorado in 1882. 

Mr. Arnold was intimately associated with the de- 
velopment of the county and city from the date of 
his becoming a resident of Isabella County. He was 
elected the first County Clerk after the organization of 
the county, and served a term' as Register of Deeds, 
when the duties of that position were a part of those 
of the former office. He was the first Supervisor of 
Isabella Township, and at that time the county 
contained but three organized townshi])s ; three Su- 
pervisors then constituted the Board. In 1868 he 
received the nomination for Representative, on the 
Democratic ticket ; but that party, being in the mi- 
nority, was defeated. He was Supervisor of Union 
Township eight years, and served from 1870 to 1872 
as County Surveyor. He interested himself in every 
project of substantial benefit to the general public, 
and threw the weight of his influence into every 
enterprise that afTorded reasonable prospects of ad- 
vantage to the county and its inhabitants. Through 
his efforts mainly, the court-house was built, in r876-7, 
and he served as chairman of the buildingcommittee. 
He assisted in making the first survey of the village 
of Mt. Pleasant, while a resident there. He was 
prominent and active in the interests of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church and officiated as Superintend- 
ent of the Sunday-school, eight years. In 18S0 he 
was elected President of the village of Mt. Pleasjint, 
which he held one year. He was also a member of 
the Order of Masonry at Mt. Pleasant. 




hitney H. Cowles, farmer, section 16, 

Dcerfield Township, is a son of Horace 

s^i^"' and Laura (Miller) Cowles, natives of 

!^ Massachusetts. In this family were six 

children. 

'I'he subject of this sketch was born June 20, 
1847, in Hainbridge, Geauga Co., Ohio, and remained 
on the old homestead until 1878, when he came with 
the family to this county and bought a tract of 80 
acres, where he now has 30 acres well subdued to 
cultivation, two acres in young orchard, a good frame 



C 



c 



/s 



Si/ 



h 



-^4^- 



^mm\i'^^ 



.^i^s^ 



■«*V^s>^ 



.5^?^-.^ 









V 






e* 



J 
1 



-~»!?JS»— 



■^ wi^ 0-7S; : U li .i^ U U > ■^'^r-^ 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^i^^'C: 



389 






2 

1=1 

I 



^ 



i 



house, barn, etc. He is one of the substantial farm- 
ers of this part of the country. Mr. Cowles' farm 
is known as " Maple Farm." He has a sugar grove of 
775 trees, and uses the latest processes in the manu- 
facture of the purest maple sugar. He has marketed 
2,000 pounds in one season. His place is known far 
and wide, and is visited by people from every direc- 
tion during the sugar-making season. 

Oct. 17, 1867, at Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga Co., 
Ohio, Mr. Cowles married Miss Alvira M., a daugli- 
ter of John and So|)hronia (Harris) Manchester, na- 
tives of Rhode Island and New York. The former, 
whose father was a soldier in the- Revolution, fought 
in the war of 1812, and contributed four sons to his 
country's service in the late rebellion. He served in 
the 30th U. S. I., and is one of the very few veterans 
of the second war with Great Britain who yet survive. 
He is 88 years old, is hale and hearty, and can jump 
up in the air and strike his feet together twice as well 
as any agile farmer's son. He served under Gen. 
Wade Hampton (grandfather of the present Senator 
from South Carolina), fought in the campaigns on the 
border of Canada, and participated in seven battles. 
He now lives at Mantua, Portage Co., Ohio. In 
his family were ten children, eight of whom are liv- 
ing. Alvira M. was born Aug. 6, 1846, in Auburn, 
Geauga Co.. Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Cowles have 
been born five children, four of whom are living, 
namely: Linnie A., Jan. 23, 1869; John H., May 
II, 187 1 ; Bert E., Dec. 20, 1877; and Roy M., 
May 3, 1880. Ray E., born Aug. 10, 1875, died 
Aug. 9, 1878. The parents are members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, and Mr. C. in politics 
is a Republican. 



^j^^^oseph Higgins, farmer on section 35, Coe 
Ij^^fj- Township, is a son of Isaac and Phebe 
|K;t^^ (Pope) Higgins, natives of Pennsylvania 
f ,2 and New Jersey. They settled in Greene Co., 
"^r Pa., where they lived until their death. There 
i were eight children in the family, Joseph being 
the second son. 

He was born in Greene Co., Pa., March 29, 1829, 
and lived at home until 21 years of age. He con- 
tinued to live in his native county until he came to 
this county, in the fall of 1865. He bought 80 acres 



of land in Coe Township, where he now resides. He 
has since added 37 acres to his farm, and now has 
40 acres under the plow. 

He was married in the county of his nativity, 
Dec. 16, 1851;, to Rhoda, daughter of James and 
Hannah (Wilson) Fry, natives of Pennsylvania. She 
was born in Washington Co., Pa, April 20, 1833, and 
is the mother of six children, — Isasc N., James L., 
John H., Eliza B., Phebe H. and Samantha J. 

Mr. H. votes the Democratic ticket, and with his 
wife belongs to the United Brethren Church. 




evi B. Quick, farmer on section 31, Coe 
Township, is a son of Ralph and Calista 
V.i^'^ti r (Treat) Quick, natives respectively of Bucks 
Co., Pa., and Seneca Co., N. Y, The parents 
first settled in Oakland Co., Mich., and in 1871 
removed to (iratiot County. The mother died 
in Sumner Township, that county, in March, 1882. 
Their family numbered 12, named as follows. Mary 
E., Nancy S., Charles, Levi B., EUinor, Corrilla, 
Gustavus, Edwin O., Frances, Walter, George S. and 
Lucy J. 

The subject of this sketch, the second son, was 
bom in Lyon, Oakland Co., Mich., April 7, 1839. He 
received an elementary English education and lived 
at home until he attained his majority. He then 
worked out by the month for two years. 

He enlisted Aug 9, 1862, in the 22d Mich. Vol. 
Inf., and served nearly three years. He was under 
fire often, and was in the terrible battle of Chicka- 
mauga, where his regiment was all cut to pieces. He 
received a severe wound by a minie-ball in the 
right side and was confined to the hospital for six 
months. He was honorably discharged at Detroit, 
Mich., after which he returned to Oakland County, 
where he engaged in farming until 1869. He then 
came to Gratiot County and bought 80 acres in Pine 
River Township. In 1877 he exchanged for 120 
acres in Coe Township, this county, where he has 
since resided. He has now 80 acres, including 70 
acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Oakland County, Jan. 2, 1868, 
to Roxie J., daughter of George and Ann E. (Plow- 
man) Fawcett, natives respectively of Ireland and 
Orange Co., N. Y. She was born in Lyon, Oakland 



y&} 






«>: 









<^ 



Syt^A 



J^..^ 



<im%m<^>^^ — ^^^^s^ 



4>^(^ 



If 



#» 



l^llll^>r- 



390 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^ 



>5 






^ 



I 




Co., Mich., March 31, 1844 By this marriage there 
have been two children, one of whom died in infancy. 
George R. was born Jan. 3, 1869. 

Mr. Q. was Township Superintendent of Schools 
for two years. Politically, he supix)rts the Republi- 
can party. He and wife are members ol the Presby- 
terian Church. 



■^|Si B illiam F. Bollman, farmer on section 6, 
'llf Union, was born in Amherst, Erie Co. 
p N. Y., April 10, 1853, and is the son of 
Ernest and Augusta (Weslfall) Bollman. The 
parents were both natives of Germany, and 
died in Amherst, Erie Co., N. Y., — the father Dec. 
25, 1866; and the mother Oct. 12, 1875. 

Their son William lived at home until 16 years 
old, and then commenced the struggle of life alone. 
He worked on a farm in the summer, and in the 
winter went to school, working for his board. He 
bought 40 acres adjoining his mother's place, and 
worked both farms until her death. Selling out, he 
then visited Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 
three months in each State. Returning to New York 
State, he worked a year, and then came to Isabella 
County and bought his present farm of 100 acres. 
He has about 40 acres improved. 

He was married Dec. 26, 1878, to Miss Mary S. 
Clare, daughter of Frank and Sophia (Raime) Clare. 
Mr. and Mrs. C. are both residents of Isabella Town- 
ship, this county. Mrs. Bollman was born Oct. 14, 
i860, and is the mother of two children, — Frank E., 
born Sept. 10, 1879, and Louisa S., March 27, 1883. 

Mr. B. is a Republican, and a member of the 
Lutheran Church. His wife is a Catholic. 



arren W. Parsell, farmer, section 17, Wise 

Township, was born July 9, 1827, in Day- 

"^"RHS^^ ton, Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. His parents, 

5^ John and Huldah (Babcock) Parsell, were 

\ both natives of the State of New York. 

Mr. Parsell resided in the State of his nativ- 
ity until 1865, and was engaged in farming. In 
the spring of that year he bought a f;irm in Tuscola 




Co., Mich., on which he lived eight years. In 1872 
he sold that place and purchased another in the same 
county, which he managed a year and then he sold 
again. In November, 1873, he bought 40 acres of 
land ill Wise Township, which he has since increased 
to 80 acres, and now has 30 acres under cultivation. 
He wis the third in order of settlement in the Town- 
ship of Wise, and built the third house outside the 
limits of Loomis. He is a Democrat in political 
faith, and has held the office of Highway Commis- 
sioner one year. In the spring of 1882 he was elected 
Justice of the Peace and still discharges the duties 
of that office. 

Mr. Parsell's marriage to Lydia F. Wells occurred 
Jan. 5, 1859, in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y. She was 
born in that county, Nov. 29, 1837. Of their union 
three children have been born: Huldah A., Worden 
D. and Walter W. The latter died when a few 
months more than nine years of age. 



S.«H^« 



ease I. Richmond, farmer on section t,2>i 

■- Chippewa Township, is a son of Cyrus C. 

and Mary (Alley) Richmond, of American 



»^ 



(>; 






and Dutch parentage. The parents settled ^ 



; 



first in Canada, and in 1866 came to this coun- 
ty and settled in Chippewa Township, their 
present home. Their family numbered nine, six sons 
and three daughters. 

The subject of this record was born in Canada, 
May 29, 1831, and received the elements of an Eng- 
lish education in the common schools. When about 
20 years old he left home and worked a farm on 
shares for two years. He then bought a farm in Can- 
ada, where he lived until he came to Michigan, buy- 
ing and selling several farms. In March, 1877, he 
came to this county and bought 100 acres in Chippe- 
wa Township, where he has since resided. He has 
built substantial barns and a good farm house on his 
place, and has 85 acres improved. 

He was married in Northumberland Co., Can., Feb. (^ 
28, 1856, to Miss Lydia E., daughter of James and 
Jemimah (Ball) Lowe, who were natives respectively 
of Canada and Nova Scotia. The father was a par- 
ticijjant in the famous battle of Waterloo. Both he 
and wife died in Canada; the latter in August, 1842, 
and the former in January, 1861. Mrs. Richmond 



I 



|g\©5«®»l« Si^S<« — &^' 



IS 



^ 

mm/% 





/^Z--^^^^-*^-^ 








cJ^ 



»/®^^#- 



■7 



<-^llll}$:i]ll>> 



V 



":2i--4; 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



395 



t 



1 — ' 

1=1 
i=z 



t 



•) 



was born in Prince Edward Co., Can., Jan. 19, 1839, 
and she and her husband have been the parents of 
five children, three of whom survive: George B.,Es- 
tella L. and Mary M. .Samuel M. and Isabella N. 
are deceased. 

Mr. Richmond has held the office of Highway 
Commissioner for two years, and that of School As- 
sessor seven years. Politically he is a Republican. 



— J- 



-5— 




ifames S. Graham, farmer and Supervisor 
^jm: of Isabella Township, residing on section 



22, was born in the County of Peel, Ont., 
May 22, 1850. His parents were Hugh and 
Y Catharine (Cook) Graham, natives of New York 

i and Connecticut, respectively, and of Irish- 
Scotch attraction. The father was a farmer by oc- 
cupation and followed that vocation in Peel Co., 
Ont., where he died, in 1853. His mother is still 
living, at the advanced age of 68 years, in Isabella 
Township. 

When James S. was three years of age he was left 
a half orphan by his father's death, he having been 
thrown from a buggy by the horse becoming fright- 
ened and running away. He lived with his mother 
and brothers in his native county, doing his share 
toward the maintenance of his family and attending 
the common schools, until he attained the age of 22 
years. 

In the fall of 1S73 Mr. Graham came to this county 
and settled in Isabella Townshii), on So acres of wild 
land on section 16, which he had purchased the 
spring before his coming. He located on this land 
and at once began to improve it, but soon sold, and 
engaged in the mercantile business at Calkinsville. 
The capital required to manage this business was 
some $5,000, and he conducted the same with a 
moderate degree of success for two years. In 1877 
he sold out his mercantile business, and purchased 
1 60 acres on land on section 23, where he lived until 
April, 1 88 1, when he sold the same and purcliased 
40 acres on section 22, and 40 acres on section 15, 
same township. He has 50 acres of the 80 under a 
good state of cultivation, and is acknowledged as one 
of the progressive farmers of the township. 

Mr. Graham was united in marriage with the lady 
of his choice, Miss Margaret I. Johnson, in Peel Co., 



Ont., Dec. 28, 187 1. She is a native of Ontario, 
born in Peel Co., that Province, April 14, 1848, and 
there lived, under the piotecting care of her parents, 
until her marriage. The husband and wife are the 
parents of eight children, namely : William M., 
born Oct. 5, 1872; Edgar O., Aug. 23, 1879 ; Godfrey 
E., Sept. I, 1880; Gracie L., June 7, 1882, and 
Victor S., Jan. 30, 1884. Oscar A., born Dec. i, 
1873, died April i, 1875, and Gertrude L., born 
March 3, 1877, died Nov. 2, 1881. 

Politically, Mr. Graham is a believer in and sup- 
porter of the principles of the Democratic party. He 
has held the position of Township Clerk, Township 
Treasurer, and is now Supervisor of Isabella Town- 
ship. 



-xtazfi/©^^— ^'^^^^^^•?- 



^©l-a^OTJriv 



9 






$>: 






^||K!=^JfSS>«V 



j^a. 



■i^m^M^y^ 



ewis Grant, superintendent of Edmund 
■'viiJlK- Hall's lumbering interests in Broomfield 
Township, is a son of Archibald and Cather- 
ne (Lord) Grant. His father was born in 1814 
in Evonshire, Scotland, and died in 1877, in 
Canada. His mother was born in i8rg, in Ire- 
land, and died in 1879, in Canada. 

Their son, Lewis Grant, was born Marcli 15, 1840, 
in Scotland, and lived with his parents until 22 years 
of age. Coming to America with them, he worked 
first for two years in the lumber woods of Minnesota. 
Next he was engaged on a farm in the State of New 
York for two years; and then, coming to Michigan, 
he engaged with Mr. Edmund Hall, his present em- 
ployer, working the first year as a common laborer. 
The succeeding three years he was a foreman, and 
after that he became superintendent of all Mr. Hall's 
lumbering operations in Broomfield Township. 

He was married in 1875 to Miss Ida Eldred, who 
was born Sept. 24, 1854, in Hillsdale County, this 
State, and daughter of Judson and Mary (Dopp) El- 
dred. Mr. E. was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., in 182 1, 
and is now a farmer in Broomfield, of which town- 
ship he was one of the early settlers. Mrs. E. was 
born in the State of Ohio, in 1832. 

Mr. (Jrant is politically a su[)portL'r of tlie Repub- 
lican party. 

As one of the representative business men ot Isa- @\ 
bella County, and a gentleman worthy the esteem and ^ 



t 



i 










^ 



J SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



honor of his fellow citizens, we place Mr. Grant's 
portrait in this volume. .\s a fitting companion pic- 
ture to Mr. Grant's, we place beside it that of his 
wife. 



^ 



•«2jec/©^* 



k4— j^^^iOOTa" 




His G. Faunce, farmer on section 21, Coe 
Township, is the son of Alden and Lucre- 
lia (Coburn) Faunce, natives of Massachu- 
setts and New York. The parents settled in 
Trumbull Co., Ohio, where he died, Feb. 22, 
1863. The mother yet survives. Their fam- 
ily consisted of eight children, six sons and two 
daughters, of whom Ellis G. is the sixth. 

He was born in Trumbull Co., Ohio, Oct. i, 1846, 
and received a rudimentary English education, liv- 
ing at home until 1865. The following three years 
were spent in Michigan and Ohio, and in 1868 he 
bought a farm of 80 acres in Monroe Co., Mich., 
where he lived seven years. He then sold, and for 
a year and a half was employed in a grist-mill in Al- 
len Co., Ohio. In the spring of 1877 he came to Isa- 
bella County and bought 40 acres on section 21, Coe 
Township. He has since added 40 acres, and has 
under cultivation 42 acres. 

He was married in his native county, Nov. 26, 1868, 
to Syrion L., daughter of Orrin R. and Louisa (King) 
Gates, natives of Vermont and Ohio. To this union 
three children have been born, — Eva E., Orrin L. and 
Leila B. 

Mr. F. is a Republican, and with his wife belongs 
to the Christian Church. 



ftai^.hancy C. Dickerson, farmer and miller, 
SiyOtC' section 13, Deerfield Township, is a son of 
2!ite?^ John W. and Catharine Jane (Appleman) 
Dickerson ; his father, a native of Pennsylva- 
nia, died April 5, 1865, and his mother, a na- 
tive of New Jersey, is still living. 
The subject of this sketch was born June i, 1841, 
in Lorain Co., Ohio ; was in Wisconsin from about 9 
to 1 2 years of age ; in Lorain Co., Ohio, for five years ; 
in Hillsdale Co., Mich., one year; next, Bowne 
Township, Kent County, nearly a year; then Ionia 




County, five years ; then California three years, where 
he was in the mines, and a part of the time engaged 
in engineering; in Ionia County ten years ; and then 
came to Isabella County, Aug. 20, 1877, pur- 
chasing a quarter of section 13, where he now resides. 
It was then wholly unimproved, but he has cleared 
ten acres and sold 80. In connection with the place 
is a good mill site. He built the first saw, grist and 
shingle mills in Deerfield Township. The saw is an 
"upright," and the grist-mill has two run of buhrs. 

Mr Dickerson was married Jan. i, 1865, at Ionia, 
to Miss Hannah Christina, daughter of Oliver and 
Lydia (Brazee) Decker. They have no children. 

Mr. Decker is in political sentiment a Republican. 



^3^ 






A i 



£k- 



C. Payne, physician, section 28, Nottawa 

Township, is a son of Barton and Maria 

(Cronk) Payne, natives of Ontario Co., N. 

Y. His father and mother are both deceased, 

the former dying April 10, 1862, and the latter 

July 7, 1877. 

Dr. Payne is a native of this Slate, and was born 
in Salem Township, Washtenaw Co., Feb. 17, 1848. 
He spent his childhood years until he attained the 
age of eight, in his native county, when his parents 
moved to Ypsilanti, where they lived for two years 
and then moved to Shiawassee County. The family 
remained at the latter place 18 years, during which 
time young Payne assisted on the farm and attended 
the common schools and developed into manhood. 
From Shiawassee County Dr. Payne removed to 
Eagle, Clinton County, remained five years and 
four months, and then went to Westphalia, same 
county, and variously occupied his time for two 
years. 

The Doctor came to this county March 17, 1883, 
located on section 28, Nottawa Township, and en- 
tered upon the practice of medicine, a profession he 
had selected and mastered at an earlier day. He 
has continuously followed the practice of his profes- 
sion, having located his office at Beal City, Nottawa 
Township, ever since commg to the county, and has 
met with signal success. 

Dr. Payne was united in marriage, Dec. 25, 187 i, 
with Miss Frances, daughter of Mary E. McCrum, 



f 



K^ 






I 



Tr^JfC 



A 



<^dd>:iid;> 



.^^i=^ 



*^4.^ 



m 




T^i^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^aj^SoAx 



/\ 



y: 



V 



(^ 






who was born Sept. 2, 1855, in Livingston Co, this 
W State ; and their union has been blessed by one 
't:: child, Minnie, born Oct. 29, 1873. 
I Dr Payne is a member of the Masonic Lodge at 

^ Wacousta, Clinton Co., this State. In politics he is 
Y^ ^" adherent of the tenets of the Democratic party. 

Mrs. Payne is a member of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. 

^ #M# ^ 




dward Delaney, molder, residing on sec- 
tion 22, Coldwater Township, was born 
Sept. 29, 1837, in the city of Rochester, 
N. Y. His parents, William and Mary (Fagan) 
Delaney, were natives of Ireland. The decease 
of his father occurred at Rochester, and his 
mother died in Prince Edward Co., Ont. 

Mr. Delaney is the eldest of six children born to 
his parents, and he lived at home until he was 18 
years old, when he went to learn the molder's trade, 
and in his journeyman days he went to Adrian, 
Mich., where he found employ in the car^shops, re- 
maining there most of the time until r86i, when he 
enlisted in the military service of the LTnited States. 
He became a soldier during the first months of the 
war, enlisting in Co. B, 47th Ohio Vol. Inf. The 
entire company were Michigan men with one excep- 
tion, who was from Cincinnati. The regiment was 
assigned to the 15 th Army Corps, of which General 
Sherman was in command. It was afterwards under 
Gen. Logan, and Mr. Delaney participated in the 
battles of Vicksburg and Charleston (W. Va.), be- 
sides taking part in numberless skimiishes. He 
received a wound in the left arm while on picket 
duty near Ripley, W. Va., in September, 1862. He 
was again wounded at Vicksburg, May 18, 1863, re- 
ceiving a charge of buckshot in the left ankle, which 
is still where the rebels planted it. The regiment 
veteranized at Cleveland, Tenn., and was mustered 
out of service Aug. 1 1, 1865, at Little Rock, Ark. 

On receiving his discharge he returned to Fulton 
Co., Ohio, and soon afterward came to Gratiot Co., 
Mich., and resided two years in the village of St. 
Louis. In 1867 he filed a homestead claim of 80 
acres of land in Coldwater Township, to which he 
removed with his family the year following. He has 
placed 35 acres under improvements. He is a Re- 





publican in political sentiments and has held the 
office of School Director. 

He married Oct. 2, 1864, Viola A., daughter of 
William F. and Lozina (Decker) Baker. She was 
born July 23, 1843. Her father died Oct. 30, 1876, 
and is buried on Mr. Delaney 's farm. The mother 
is living with her daughter. Two children of Mr. 
and Mrs. Delaney are living: Edward, born Aug. 
7, 1880, and Edna Alba, born April 9, 1883. William 
B. w3ls born May i, 1876, and died the same day. 
Viola Edwina was born July 19, 1877, and died on 
the day of her birth. 

The farm of Mr. Delaney contains a boiling spring, 
which is the object of much curiosity, and around 
which cluster strange Indian and other traditions. 
It is an object of great veneration among the red 
men, who believe it the ancient burial place of their 
chiefs; and several individuals claim that in its im- 
mediate vicinity a large sum of money was buried 
during the second war with great Britain. The issue 
of water averages 500 gallons per minute. Mr. De- 
laney's place was the first that was homesteaded 
north of the Indian reserve. Copper has been found 
in the springs on the farm, and will some day prove 
a source of profit. 



fjf 8pa^-.ornelius Wolfgang, farmer, section 12, 
[ ^^1^ Fremont Township, is a son of Samuel 
Jil^" and Mary (Baker) Wolfgang, natives of 
$ih York Co., Pa. The former, a weaver b vc a_ 
"^ tion, moved to Ohio in 1834, locating in 
Champaign County; five years afterward he 
moved to Clark County, that State; in 1854 he 
moved to De Kalb Co., Ind., and finally to Goshen, 
Elkhart County, where he died, in September, 1882. 
His wife had died in 1855, in De Kalb Co., Ind. 

The subject of this sketch was born in Champaign 
Co., Ohio, May 24, 1834; his parents being in very 
straitened circumstances, he was placed out at the 
tender age of six years to be brought up by other 
people; consequently he was kept at hard work. 
From the time he became of age until he was mar- 
ried he was engaged in various pursuits in Indiana. 
In 1 86 1 he married Miss Caroline Hood, who was 
born Dec. 24, 1834, in Stark Co., Ohio. Her parents, 
John and Susan (Hartman) Hood, were natives of 
Pennsylvania, the former a shoemaker by trade. In 






C^> 






i 



^^^^ 



ll^jj'^pr^ 



.c:^-^ 



<^n!ir^^iinft>A^- 



.C2V?%^ 



M 



m^ 



4^ 






398 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'Q^ 



I 



ffll 



1832 they settled in Stark Co., Ohio, and afterward 
in De Kalb Co., Ind , where they died about the 
year 1856. 

Mr. Wolfgang came to this county in 1861, settling 
upon 148 acres where he now resides, and where he 
has 100 acres well improved, a large barn, comforta- 
ble residence, etc. He has been Treasurer of his 
township and Constable, and has held the school 
offices of his district. He belongs to the Lutheran 
Church, and in political matters he votes for the 
" best men." 
-The children of the family of Mr. Wolfgang are: 
Frank, born Nov. 8, 1858; John, Jan. 26, 1861 ; 
Seright, Jan. 16, 1863, died in 1865 ; Susan, June 26, 
1865; and Eddie S., Dec. 2, 1867. The first two 
were born in De Kalb Co., Ind., and the last two in 
this county. 

^■^S^*^' 

Ecarding Kellogg, farmer, section 30, Lincoln 
Township, was born in St. Lawrence Co., 
N. Y., May 17, 1S46. The parents of 
Harding were Shiverick and Maria (Clark) 
Kellogg, natives of Vermont and New Hamp- 
shire, of English descent and of New England 
parentage. The father followed the occupation of a 
carder and cloth-dresser in his native State, and re- 
moved to Ionia Co., this State, in 1849, and there fol- 
lowed the occupation of farming. He was one 
among the first to settle in Ionia County. While on 
a visit to the home of our subject in this county, his 
father died, the date being Nov. 14, 1881. His 
mother died April 15, 1884, aged 63 years. 

When three years of age, the subject of our bio- 
graphical notice was brought to Ionia County by his 
parents and lived there until he attained the age of 
manhood. He was the oldest of the children of his 
parent's family and grew up among the pioneer set- 
tlers of Ionia County. He assisted his father on the 
farm and attended the common and village schools 
until he attained his majority, when he engaged to 
him at a stated salary to work on the farm. 

Mr. Kellogg was united in marriage June 21, 1867, 
with Miss Eliza, daughter of Thomas and Ellen 
(Horsburgh) Conner, natives of Canada and Scot- 
land respectively and of English and Scotcli extrac- 
tion. Eliza was born in Brant Township, Brant Co., 




Ontario, March 13, 1846. She lived in her native 
county until she attained the age of ten years, when 
she accompanied her parents to Ionia County, this 
State, where she lived assisting in the labors of the 
household and attending the common schools until 
the date of her marriage. 

Shortly after marriage Mr. Kellogg moved on a 
part of the old homestead, and cultivated the same 
until the spring of 1879, when he came to this 
county and purchased 80 acres of land on section 30, 
Lincoln Township. He has added So acres to his 
original purchase and of the 160 he now has 100 
acres in a good state of cultivation. He is classed 
as one of the progressive farmers of the county, and 
has met with signal success in his vocation. Recently 
he erected a large stock and grain barn on his place, 
which cost him $1,000. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kellogg are the parents of four chil- 
dren, one of whom is deceased. The living are: 
Chester A., born Nov. 26, 1872; Lea, June i, 1874, 
and Neal, May 21, 1876. Politically, Mr. K. is a 
Republican. He has held the various offices of his 
school district, and at the present time is School 
Inspector of the same. 



-«• 






i -A. 



£>- 



|J|*'Milexander Cameron, farmer, section i7,Isa- 
Ijf^^S^ bella Township, was born in Middlesex 
>Jj|nS' Co., Ont., Oct. 10, 1829. He was reared on 
.!s.r the farm and lived under tlie parental roof-tree, 
i assisting in the nuintenance of the family and 
attending the common schools until he arrived at 
manhood's age. 

The parents of our subject were of Scotch and 
Welsh extraction, and the father followed the occu- 
pation of farmer in Canada, and there died, at the 
age of 75 years. The mother is still living, in the 
Stale of Iowa. 

On arriving at the age of manhood, Sept. 19, 1850, 
Mr. Cameron was united in marriage, in his n;ttive 
county, with Miss Sarah Ward, a native of the same 
county in which our subject was born, and where she 
was born, March 8, 1833. She lived with her par- 
ents until her marriage, assisting her mother in her 
household labors and receiving the advantages af- 



v^ 



■^ 

/N 



ca: 






r 

[ 

I 

(• 



^^0- 



■e-=^^ii!i^nnr>A^ — ^^s^- 





/^^^^^z^^ jiLj^Y^ ^.ir't^^^f-t.^kr^^Z^ 



i 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






#^ff^^|| 



401 



f 









1=1 
1=1 



^ 






forded by the common schools of her neighborhood. 

After his marriage Mr. Cameron at once entered 
on the occupation he had followed all his life, and 
continued tliat vocation in liis native county, culti- 
vating 100 acres of land, until the year 1872, when 
he went to Lambton Co., Can., and there farmed 
200 acres for six years. He then sold out and came 
to this county. On his arrival he purchased 160 
acres of land, on sections 8 and 17, and began the 
task of improving it. He believed the county was 
sure to develop into a wealthy community and he 
threw all his energy into the clearing and improving 
of his land, determined to establish a permanent 
home for himself and family. He at present has 81; 
acies of his original purchase under a good state of 
cultivation ; has erected a large stock and grain barn, 
at a considerable expense, the same being 36 x 66 
feet in size, and has other comfortable and necessary 
buildings. 

Mr. and Mrs. Cameron are the parents of 12 
children, one of whom is deceased. The living are: 
Samuel T., Calvin W. (married), Margaret (married), 
Catharine E., Alexander, Sarah J. (married), Jessie, 
Mary E., Athelinda, William, Elizabeth and Albert. 
John E., born May 15, r86o, died March 25, 1881. 

The husband is a member of the Presbyterian 
Church, of which he is Elder. Politically he is a 
Republican. 




'ohn Q. A. Johnson, farmer on section 30, 
£■ Union Townsliip, was born in Vienna, 
Oneida Co., N. Y., Feb. 3, 1826, and is a 
son of William W. and Nancy (Whittaker) 
Johnson Tlie parents were born in Williams- 
town Township, Berkshire Co., Mass., and 
their marriage and the births of their first three chil- 
dren occurred in that township. They were of old 
New England stock, and descended from the Batons, 
a family well known in Connecticut and the rest of 
New England. The father died in Oneida Co., N. 
Y., May 27, 1830, aged 44 years, six months. The 
mother died at Grand Rapids, this State, Nov. 27, 
1 88 1, at the age of 93 years and five months. She 
was of a very long-lived family. Among the instan- 
ces of longevity that might be mentioned are these : 
her father lived to be 98, a brother 96, four sisters 




VS' 



over 90, and others to nearly 90. The family of 

William W. Johnson included a daughter and eight 
sons, three of the latter being now dead. John was 
the eighth child and seventh son. 

He lived at home until 18, receiving a common- 
school education. At that age became to Michigan, 
locating first at Dundee, Monroe County, and engag- 
ing in agriculture. He was soon after married. 
After four years he removed to Barry County, where 
he farmed for seven years. In June, 1855, he came 
to Isabella and located on section 22, Coe Township. 
He was one of the first 12 settlers of the county, and 
the seventh settler in Coe. This was three years be- 
fore Isabella County was organized. The first house 
he constructed did not contain a sawed board, was 
covered with elm bark, and had a puncheon floor. 
The house was raised by all the neighbors within sev- 
eral miles, and the dinner for the occasion was brouglit 
them in a basket a distance of eight miles. All their 
supplies were purchased at high prices in St. Louis. 

Aug. 21, 1861, he enlisted in Co. C, Eighth Mich. 
Vol. Inf., and was assigned to the Army of the Car- 
olinas. After serving nine months he was taken sick 
and confined to the hospital for tiiree months. He 
was discharged for disability, Sept. 18, 1862. Re- 
turning home, he located in Union Township, in 
January following. Here he had once more to live 
the life of a pioneer. He cut a road a mile and a 
half to reach his farm. The cabin in which he first 
lived still stands as a reminder of first things. He 
was the first settler on his section. Of his 160 acres, 
65 are improved. He has a very fine fruit orchard, 
four acres in extent, and his fruit always takes the 
lead in county fairs. 

Politically, Mr. J. is a staunch Republican. He 
was elected Sheriff in 1863, and held the office two 
years. In 1876 he was elected Probate Judge, 
which position he filled four years. He has also held 
the minor offices of his township. 

He was married Feb. 17, 1844, in Monroe Co., 
Mich., to Miss Margaret Sutherland, daughter of Eli 
and Thankful (Russell) Sutherland, natives of Orange 
and Westchester Cos., N. Y., and of English-Scotch 
and German-Irish ancestry. The mother died in 
Lenawee Co., Mich., in r88i. The father is living 
in that county, at the age of 85. He has lost the ^ 
sight of one eye. Mrs. Johnson was born in Hector, («m 
Rensselaer Co., N. Y., Feb. 20, 1825, and came with ^ 



f 



9 



EH 






^^rm^^ 



■ "t 
f 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



rj'^gis^^ 



m. 






4 



% 



Cq^ 



her parents to Monroe County, this State, when 17 
years old. Ten children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. J., two of whom are not living. The record is 
as follows: Mary A., born Nov. 2, 1844 ; Louisa A., 
March 24, 1846; Warren J., Nov. 6, 1849; De Witt 
S., March 3, 1852 ; Jared R., Sept. 15, 1854: Harty 
J., Jan. 29, 1858; Elma E., Aug. 13, 1863; and 
Minnie E., Sept. 17, 1865. The deceased were Wel- 
come, born Feb. 15, 1848, and died Oct. 18, 1851; 
and Lucy T., born Jan. 20, i86o, and died July 21, 
186 1. Those living are all married and residents of 
this county. One son is interested in saw-mills, one 
is a merchant and five are farmers. 

We take great pleasure in presenting the portrait 
of Mr. Johnson in this Album, upon a page in prox- 
imity to this sketch. 




jiiohn P. Lyons, farmer, residing on section 
10, Fremont Township, is a son of James 
and Mary J. (Little) Lyons, natives of the 
Emerald Isle, where the father was born May 
16, 1791, and the mother Oct. 27, 1798. The 
latter came to this country in 18 16 and the 
father in 1817, both landing in New York city. 
They were united in marriage in Pittsburg, Pa., 
March 16, i8ig. Soon after their marriage they 
moved to Rocky Fort, Licking Co., Ohio, and located 
on a farm, where, Nov. 6, 1867, the father died. 
The mother is still living on the old homestead, at 
the venerable age of 86 years, and is yet hale and 
hearty. The father and mother were the parents of 
eight children, six boys and two girls. Two of the 
brothers are deceased. William, the oldest, Hves near 
Dunlap, in Monona Co., Iowa. James lives on the 
old homestead, with his mother, in Licking Co., Ohio. 
Samuel was killed while walking on the railroad 
track. Isabella lives in Perry Co., Ohio. Sarah 
lives in Licking County. Andrew J. lives in Rooks 
Co., Kan. David M. died on the old homestead ; 
and John P., our subject, resides on section 10, Fre- 
4 mont Township, this county. 

y^ Mr. Lyons, the subject of this biographical notice, 

^ was born March 18, 1833, in Licking Co., Ohio. He 
tr\ remained at home assisting in the maintenance of 
\^ the family and attending the common schools of his 
^ district until he attained the age of 21 years. His 



desire was to become proficient in teaching, and 
prior to his majority he had so closely confined him- 
self to study that on reaching that age he was 
thoroughly competent to enter on the practice of the 
profession. He continued to follow that for a period 
of 20 years, and was the recipient of many encomi- 
ums for his ability and system of teaching. 

Feb. 8, 1866, Mr. Lyons was united in marriage 
with Miss Manilla White, who was born Sept. 8, 
1835, in Guernsey Co., Ohio. She was a daughter 
of John and Hannah (Guthrie) White, natives of the 
Key-stone State, where her father was born in 1798 
and her mother in 1803. Her father was an agricul- 
turist by vocation and died in May, 1874. Her 
mother is yet living, and resides in Muskingum Co., 
Ohio. 

Mr. Lyons came from Ohio to this State, Oct. 25, 
1 88 1, and located on 160 acres of land on section 10, 
Fremont Township. He at once settled on his land 
and began its improvement, determining to make it 
his permanent home, and at present has a goodly 
portion of the same in a fine state of cultivation, 
and substantial buildings erected thereon. 

Mr. and Mrs. Lyons are the parents of four chil- 
dren : James W., born Oct. i, 1868 ; Wm. H., born 
Jan. 6, 1873; John C, born April 30, 1874, and 
Junietta M., born Jan. 10, 1876. Politically, Mr. 
Lyons is a Democrat, and is at present Justice of the 
Peace of his township. Socially, he and wife are 
members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he 
has been a Ruling Elder for 12 years. He is also 
School Inspector, and occupies a prominent and re- 
spected position in his township. 



|(|imF ^^l iles Sehofield, farmer, section 26, Gilmore 
Ijf^i^^^, Township, was born March 16, 1844, and 
flll*^?'^^ is the son of James and Mary (Drenner) 
^j^^''>\ Sehofield. His parents were natives of 
'V" England and came to Amerca in 1840. The 
I father died in Nashville, Tenn., the mother re- 
sides with her son. 

Mr. Sehofield remained with his parents until he 
was 23 years of age, obtaining his education and 
working with his father as a stone mason. In 1867 
he came to Isabella County and settled upon the 
farm on which he has since resided. The township 



r 






r 



s 



<^D!l>:Dt]i>^ 









MV^:*^' 



i 



h 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^t^C<®^4H) 



403 






:-<e 



V 



was in a comparatively unbroken state of nature and 
but few permanent settlers were located. The fam- 
ily of Fordyce Leonard had been residents for about 
three months, and Mrs. Schofield was the first white 
woman they had seen. The settlers were obliged to 
go to Mt. Pleasant for all supplies, and it was the 
nearest postoffice. Salt River, 30 miles distant, had 
the only grist-mill in this section, and consequently 
the staff of life was sometimes difficult to secure. .At 
one time, during the second autumn after Mr. Scho- 
field's settlement, his family were two weeks without 
bread, and for some time subsequent to their locating 
their neighbors were two miles away. The home- 
stead includes 80 acres, 40 acres of which are im- 
proved. 

Mr. Scliofield is a Republican in political affilia- 
tion and has been Justice of the Peace and Town- 
ship Treasurer three years ; has also served several 
years in the various school offices. He and his wife 
are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

He was married Sept. 6, 1867, to Mary Ann, 
daughter of Chades C. and Fannie D. (Martm) 
Thompson, and was born July 28, 1847, in Tyler 
Co., W. Va. Six children have been born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Schofield, five of whom are living: Sarah F., 
born July 29, 1868; Ida V., born Sept. 18, 1869; 
Orlando C , born Feb. 20, 1871; Ira O., born Nov. 
9, 1874; Rupert R., born May 9, 1877. James 
Everett, born Nov. 27, 1872, died Aug. 29, 1873. 




\ 

I 



If homas E. Eraser, farmer, section 22, Isa- 
bella Township, was born in Northumber- 
r^ land Co., Ont., Feb. 28, 1850. He was 
/tmS reared on a farm in his native county, and at 
the age of 15 years began working in the lum- 
ber woods of the same county. He continued 
that vocation until the year 1872, when he came to 
this State and located in Midland ('ounty. There 
he was variously occupied for one year and then 
came to this county ; and in July, 1873, he purchased 
40 acres of unimproved land on section 22, Isabella 
Township, where he is at present residing. 

When Mr. Fraser first came to that township, but 
few families were there, and the hand of improve- 
ment was hardly visible, and he may be said to have 
passed almost the entire period of pioneer life in Isa- 



bella Township. He engaged in the lumber woods 
until 1878, when he entered on the occupation he 
had followed in boyhood, farming. He has added 
40 acres, by purchase, to his original tract of land, 
and of his present landed possessions he has 65 acres 
under a high degree of cultivation, with comfortable 
and commodious frame buildings erected thereon. 

He was united in marriage, Jan. 23, 1882, at Mt. 
Pleasant, with Miss Hannah M. Stoyle, a native of 
Hastings Co., Ont., where she was born Jan. 20, 
1850. She removed to Toledo, Ohio, in 1868. and 
at that place she lived until 1881, when she came to 
Mt. Pleasant, and there lived until her marriage. 

The husband and wife are parents of one child, 
George H., born Nov. 21, 1882. Mrs. Fraser is a 
member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. F. is a 
member of the Ordfr of Orangemen of Seymour 
Township, Northumberland Co., Ont., and in ix)litics 
is a Republican. 



i. 



oseph F. Gachter, farmer, section 22, Not- 
t iwa Township, is a son of Joseph F. Gach- 
ter, a native of France. Joseph F., Sr., 
emigrated to the United States in 1837, and 
jf four years later, in 1841, returned to his native 
land for his family. He returned with them 
the same year and landed at Castle Garden, New 
York city, Aug. 10, of that year. He afterward, in 
September of the same year, removed to and settled 
in Stark Co., Ohio, where his father and mother died, 
the former in March, 1881, and latter May 24, 1845. 
Joseph F., Jr., the subject of our biography, was 
born in St. Germain, Canton de Fontaine, Depart- 
ment of the Upper Rhine, France, Feb. 28, 1830. 

A year after the death of his mother, in March, 
1846, Mr. Gachter left Stark County and went to 
Wheeling, Va., where he was variously occupied for 
some 18 months, and then removed to Cincinnati, in 
which place he remained about three months. His 
next move was to New Orleans, where he occupied 
his time in boating on the Mississippi and its tribu- 
taries for two years. 

As the electric wires flashed from State to State 
the terrible news of the bombardment of Sumter and 
war known to be inevitable, the heart of Mr. Gachter 
beat in unison with the " cause of justice," and he 



"< 



< 



5,-*i«» 



.^ 



A<>Dr^>nD;>^ 



^^^ 






— 1^^^5(<^ 



^ 



s 



■rf^* 



r^^Ti^arX 



"TT-T- 



<>tlll^llD^>: 



r^ 



*#^^(® 






iOj 



404 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



> 



y>i 



X 



left the South and went to Pittsburg to join the North- 
ern Army. 

He enlisted in Co. A, issth Pa. Vol. Inf., in July, 
1862, participated in the battle of Antietam, afier 
which he was detailed as a member of the medical 
corjis. He ruptured himself at the battle of Antietam 
and was discliarged. He also participated in the bat- 
tles of Fredericksburg and South Mountain, previous 
to his discharge. 

Mr. Gachter was united in marriage, Sept. 2, 1862, 
to Miss Margaret Ann Gerstner. Her parents were 
natives of Bavaria, Germany. Her mother died 
during the voyage to the United States, and was 
buried in the waters of the deep ; her father is still 
living. 

Mr. and Mrs. Gachter have been blessed with 
eight children, namely : Joseph G., born March 12, 
1864, at Columbia, Lancaster Co., Pa.; Frank, April 
25, 1866, at St. John's, Mich.; Catherine, Oct. 22, 
t868, at St. John's; Emma, May 26, 187 i, in Bing- 
ham Township, Clinton Co., this State ; Wm. H., 
April 25, 1874, in Bingham; Robert, A.pril 4, 1878, 
in Bingham; Edward, Aug. .|, 1880, in Bingham; 
and Margaret \nn, March 4, 1883, in Nottawa Town- 
ship, this county. 

Mr. Gachter came to this county June r5, 1882, 
with his family and purchased a farm of 80 acres in 
Nottawa Township, 24 of which he has in a good 
state of cultivation. 

Politically, Mr. G. is an adherent to and supporter 
of the principles and doctrines of the Republican 
party, and has been honored by numerous offices of 
trust and responsibility, among which were Drain 
Commissioner, School Inspector and Director (in 
Clinton County), and is now acting Supervisor of 
Nottawa Township, this county. 




'irw^l 



l|ffl|[t N. Gulick, farmer, section 36, Deerfield, 

I^SIp Township, is a son of Henry and Ann 

(Dean) Gulick, natives of New Jersey, and 

both still living, in Union Township, this county 

The subject of this sketch was born Oct. 22, 

1848, in Wyandot Co., Ohio; lived in Seneca 

Co., Ohio, eight years; in Ionia Co., Mich., three 

years; then, in October, 1859, he came to this county, 

where he has since lived, except one summer in 





Kansas. He bought t2o acres of wild land, of 
vvliich he has since improved 28 acres. On this 
farm he has resided from Dec. 14, 188 1, to the pres- 
ent time. Previously he was on a rented farm for 
five years 

With respect to national policy, Mr, G. acts with 
the Republican party. 

Aug. 24, 1873, Mr. Gulick was married to Miss 
Susan M., daughter of Henry and Ann (Gibson) 
Bates. They now have three children, viz.: Claudie 
May, born Feb. 10, 1877 ; Gertie Mabel, Oct. 14, 
1879; and Dessie Dean, March 20, i88d. Mr. 
Bates had 12 children, and he died Sept. 14, 1879. 
In Mr. Henry Gulick's family were 11 children. 



^mislIIlV eorge W. Brown, farmer, section 4, Cold- 
water Township, was born Aug. 23, 1829, 
in Morgan Co., Ohio. His parents, John 
and Mary (Spillman) Brown, were natives of 
Virginia, and his father was for many years a 
pensioner of the Revolutionary War. On his 
death, when the son was about six years old, the 
pension reverted to the mother, who continued the 
recipient of its benefits until her death in the au- 
tumn of 1868. She lacked three days of being 93 
years old. 

Mr. Brown was the second child, in order of birth, 
of five children born to his parents; and a year after 
his father's death he went to live with a man named 
Joseph McDonald, with whom he was engaged until 
he was 25 years old. On reaching his majority he 
rented land of Mr. McDonald, which he worked on 
shares. He continued to pursue farming on the estate 
of his foster-father several years, when he removed to 
another farm five miles distant, which he rented until 
the outbreak of the Southern rebellion, when he en- 
listed. 

He enrolled in tlie United States service Aug. 3. 
1861, and was nnistered out Sept. 17, 1864, on the 
expiration of his term of enlistu.ent. He belonged 
to Co. A, 31st Ohio Vol. Inf , his regiment being as- 
signed to the First Brigade, Third Division and 14th 
Corps of the Army of the Cumberland. The first 
engagement of any importance in which Mr. Brown 
l)articipated was at Mill Spring, Ky., and afterwards 
at Stone River, Mission Ridge and at Lookout Moun- 



V^ 



A 



c^: 



tt 



®))$^^ 



^^D!i:<^:iiai1>-^r^ — ^^ 



-^^^^^^(^i 



J^f^ ^^^ 




'^^c^^.-fm. ^ ^ c£UMu 




-cr 



T^\ 



lv> 



V 



ri^c 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



i=a 



(!) 



■'A 

Mi2 



tain. He received a flesh wor.nd in the right anm in 
the engagement at Mission Ridge, and also received 
a slight bayonet scratch in his side. At the battle 
of Chickamaiiga, his haversack, canteen and knap- 
sack were shot away, and he received injuries which 
consigned him to the hospital at Nashville, Tenn., 
where he remained until he was mustered out of ser- 
vice. He received his discharge at Atlanta, Ga., and 
returned to his family in Athens Co., Ohio. 

For a few months he was variously employed, and 
on the 8th of March, 1865, he came to Barry Co., 
Mich., and bought 40 acres of unimproved land, 
which he sold in the spring of 1871, and in the fall 
of the same year he entered a homestead claim of 80 
acres of land in this township, which he has since 
occupied, and has cleared 40 acres. He has deeded 
40 acres of land to his son. 

He was married in 1S51, to Esther Jane, daughter 
of Empson and Mary (Latta) Powell. Mrs. Brown 
was born Dec. 4, 1828, in Columbiana Co., Ohio. 
Her parents died in Athens County, in the Buckeye 
State. They had four sons and four daughters, all 
of whom lived to mature life. Five of six children 
born to Mr. and Mrs. Brown are now living: Nancy 
A. was born Nov. 18, 1853; Mary M., Sept. 24, 1855; 
Empson C, Feb. 12, 1661 ; Minerva J., Oct. 5, 1S63, 
died Dec. 8, 188 1. All these were born in Athens 
Co., Ohio, except Minerva, who was liorn in Franklin 
County, that State. Jerdeena was born Nov. 8, 1865, 
in Barry Co., Mich. James William was born Aug. 
28, 1867. Tlie parents are members of the Dis- 
ciples' Church. Mr. Brown is a Republican in polit- 
ical connections. 



-tephen P. Murtha, farmer on section 8, Coe 
'Township, was born in Portland, Ionia 
'"' County, Aug. 6, 1846, and is the son of 
Patrick and Ann (Hoy) Muriha, natives of Ire- 
land. The parents were married in this coun- 
! try, having crossed tlie waters when quite 
young, and settled in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. They 
afterward lived 12 years in Ionia Co., Mich., farming, 
and in February, 1855, the family came to Coe Town- 
ship, this county, where they died, she Nov. 13, 1875, 
and he March 30, 1878. 
The subject of this notice received a rudimentary 





education in the common schools, and remained with 
his parents until their death. He now resides on 
a homestead, and owns 80 acres, 50 of which are 
under intelligent cultivation. 

He was married in Coe Township, Dec. 9, 1877, 
to Catherine, daughter of Henry and Catherine (Wol- 
baugh) Gruher, natives of Pennsylvania, who came 
to this county in the spring of 1877. Mr. and Mrs. 
M. have had three children, one of whom died in in- 
fancy. The surviving are Nellie and Sarah M. 

Mr M. is a member of the I. O. O. F., and is po- 
litically a warm supporter of Democratic principles. 




,ason B. Dibble, farmer, section 24, Notta- 
wa Township, and one ol the leading and 
representative citizens of the county, is a 
son of Asel B. and Judith [iice Tower) Dib- 
ble, natives of the State of Connecticut. They 
moved at an early date to New York, in which 
State the mother died in 1858. The father is still liv- 
ing, at the advanced age of 85 years, in Parma, Mon- 
roe Co., N. Y. 

Mr. Dibble, Jr., the subject of this biograjjhy, was 
born in Maryland Township, Otsego Co., N. Y., 12 
miles from Cooperstown. His father moved from 
that place when our subject was only five years of 
age and settled in Cattaraugus County, and iived at 
Freedom, that county, until 1865. In December of 
that year, he moved to this State and settled at Muir, 
Ionia County, to which place he brought his family 
in the following year. He lived at Muir si.x years, 
and while residing there was extensively engaged in 
lumbering, and, in company with Messrs. Fox & Arm- 
strong, purchased 2,316 acres of pine lands. His 
next move was to White Co., Tenn., near Sparta, 
where he purcliased 513 acres of land within six 
miles of that place. His intention was to make a 
home on this land, but he became dissatisfied with 
that country and remained there only a few months, 
and then removed to Elkhart Co., Ind., and purchas- 
ed a fiirm of 140 acres. He lived on this farm for 
about 1 1 months, then came to this county and pur- 
chased a large farm, and is now tlic owner of about 
1,000 acres. 

The subject of our sketch, Mr. Dibble, moved on 
his father's farm April 30, 1875, and has improved 



9 



t 



^ 



if!'*«- 



■^sjsj^^ri 



..ijA, 



<^iir^:DD;>v^ — ^3^ 



-^^-^^f®y^ii 



COUNTY. 



ISABELLA 



V 



>J 



about 350 acres. He has four barns on the place 
and a good commodious residence. 

Mr. D. was united in marriage, Feb. 15, 1846, in 
Cattaraugus Co., N. Y., with Miss Mary H., daugh- 
ter of W. G. and Eleanor {tiec Childs) Fisk, who was 
born Aug. 8, 1826, in Walworth, Wayne Co., N. Y. 
Her father and mother were both natives of Vermont, 
and both died in Cattaraugus Co., N. Y.,in 185 i. 

Mr. and Mrs. D. have one daughter, — Elizabeth 
Ann, born June 26, 185 1. She is now the wife of 
John A. Bamborough, living near Mt. Pleasant. They 
have three children ; the oldest died in infancy and 
the remaining two are Mason A., born June 22, 1874, 
and Thomas, born Aug. 23, 1876. 

Mr. Dibble was formerly a member of the Close- 
Communion Baptist, and Mrs. D. of the Free-Will 
Baptist, Church. He is politically an ardent Repub- 
lican, and, though not an office-seeker, has held va- 
rious local positions of trust. We are pleased to place 
the portrait of Mr. Dibble in this Album, which will 
preserve permanently tha features of a worthy and 
representative citizen. 




eorge A. Ruse, farmer on section 32, Coe 
Township, is a son of Aaron and Elizabeth 
(Shedenhelm) Ruse, natives of Ohio and 
Maryland. The parents first settled in Seneca 
Co., Ohio, where the father died, in December, 
1864. The mother came to Michigan, and 
three years later returned to Seneca County, where 
she died, in August, 1876, Their family consisted 
of three sons and three daughters, George being the 
youngest of the six. 

He was born in Seneca Ct)., Ohio, June 22, 18415, 
and received a common English education. He 
hired out by the month at the age of i 2, and alter- 
nated that with attending school until 18 years old. 
Adopting the vocation of agriculture, he came, in 
February, 1869, to this county and bought 40 acres 
on section 33, Coe Township. Selling this, lie re- 
turned to Seneca Co., Ohio, and bought 80 acres, 
which he worked for five years. He sold out once 
more, and came again to Isabella, buying 80 acres 
on section 32, Coe, where he now resides. He has 
SS acres under cultivation. 

He was first married in the county of his nativity, 





to Martha, daughter of Samuel and Mary King. She 
was also a native of Seneca County. They had one 
child, which died about five months old. Mrs. R. 
dying, he was again married, in Seneca County, to 
Eliza, daughter of John and Margaret (Miller) Ruch, 
and widow of John Woodmansee, who died Nov. 11, 
1868. She had by the first marriage three children, 
— William L., Cora B. and Margaret C, the first of 
whom died in infancy. To Mr. and Mrs. Ruse have 
been born three children, — John A., Letta M. and 
Irena F. John A. died when two years old. 

Politically, Mr. R. is a Republican. He and wife 
are members of the United Brethren Church. 



'esse H. Wood, farmer, section 34, Gilmore 
Township, was born Dec. 12, 1838, in 
Greene Co., Pa., and is the son of William 
and Hannah (Hartley) Wood. His parents 
both died in Isabella County. Mr. Wood re- 
mained under the home roof until he was of 
age, when he was married, and rented a farm in his 
native county, on which he lived five years. In 
B'ebruary, 1864, he enlisted in the First W. Va. 
Cavalry, and remained in the service until the close 
of the war, receiving his discharge in the latter part 
of July, 1865. At the first engagement in wliich he 
was under fire, he was under Gen. Averill, near 
Winchester, in the Valley of the Shenandoah. He 
was also at the famous battle of Winchester. His 
command was attached to the corps of Gen. Custer, 
and later of Gen. Sheridan, and in the spring of 1865 
was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, where the 
regiment was in action at Five Forks, and was pres- 
ent at the surrender of Gen. Lee. 

His marriage to Martha J., dauglittr of David and 
Sarah (Boler) Leonard, took place Aug. 25, 1858. 
Mrs. Wood was born July 26, 1842, and the five sons 
and two daughters she has borne are all living. They 
were born in the following order : Thomas T., Nov. 
17, i860; Hiram L., Oct. 29, 1863; William W., Jan. 
17, 1867; Hannah L., Oct. 7, 1869; James Edward, 
July 21, 1872; Henry H., Sept. 13, 1875; Mary 
Effie, Dec. 24, 188 1. 

Mr. Wood is one of the earliest settlers of the 
township in which he resides, locating upon his land 
at the same time with Rufus F. Glass, Nicholas 



X 



V 



C 



im\®^^^^ 



■^y^^^t 



i;>A^ 






^N^ima 



1=3 

1=3 

E 

I 





Phillips and Asa Leonard. He has served one term 
as Supervisor and seven terms as Township Clerk. 

During the 12 years in which he has been resident 
he has been engaged in the duties pertaining to the 
various school offices. Mr. and Mrs. Wood are both 
members of the Disciples 'Church. 

iSiharles E. Coon, farmer on section 12, Coe 
^ Township, is a son of Simeon B. and Clar- 
issa (Sanford) Coon, the former a native of 
Lodi, Dutchess Co., N. Y., and the latter of 
Wayne, Steuben Co., N. Y. The parents lived 
in the last mentioned place until 1844, when 
they came to Portland, Ionia County, this State. 
There were at that date few white settlers, and the 
numerous Indians roamed freely through their native 
forests. He died in that place Dec. 19, 1862, and 
she followed him Aug. 2, 1873. Their family includ- 
ed four sons and three daughters, the following six of 
whom grew to be adults: Charles E., Mary A., Annis, 
Catherine, Simeon and Fred. 

The subject of this sketch, the eldest of the family, 
was born in Wayne, Steuben Co., N. Y., Nov. 4, 1S34, 
and was ten years old when his parents came to Ionia 
County, this State. During his boyhood he had 
many interesting experiences with the Chippewa In- 
dians. At one time an Indian offered him 16 silver 
dollars for one pint of whisky, which young Coon de- 
clined to accept. He received the elements of an 
English education at the common schools of his 
neighborhood, and assisted his father on the farm as 
he grew to man's estate, until he was 27 years old. 
He then bought a 40-acre farm in Sebewa, Ionia 
County, which he worked, in connection with other 
pursuits for three years. Disposing of his Ionia Coun- 
ty interests, he came, in April, 1865, to Isabella 
County and bought 200 acres of wild land in Coe 
Township, on which he built a house and barn and 
set about clearing a farm. The result shows the re- 
ward of industry and intelligence. He has 125 acres 
in a state of high cultivation, and [irogress is seen in 
every quarter. 

He was married at Watertown, Clinton Co., Mich., 
Aug. 28, 1863, to Temperance, daughter of Peter and 
Jane (Hazelton) Allen, natives of New Jersey and 
New York, in which latter State Mrs. Coon was also 



born. Eight children have been added to the house- 
hold, five of whom survive: Clarissa S., Charles A., 
James E., Frank and Annis F. Frederick B., Lucy ' ■ ' 
J. and Haryey L. died in infancy. |^ 

Mrs. C. is a member of the Baptist Church, while V^ 
he inclines to the Universalist faith. In politics he 
has been a Republican, but now adheres to the tenets 
of the National party. He is a free-trader. 

Mr. C. visited New York in June, 1878, and pur- 
chased the well known stallion " Bashaw, Junior" 
(sired by Greene's "Bashaw"), which has had a fa- 
mous record. He once trotted a mile in 2:32, after ] 
trotting ten heats. He was at one time purchased by 
Miss I,. A. Gould (127 W. 41st Street, New York 
city), for $9,000. He is now in Aberdeen, Dak., in the 
possession of Levi Reid. He is the sire of some 
very fine horses in this county. 

, — 'iei-~<^~if^-t^(Si' — ( i"; 




c< 






feugh Graham, farmer, section 15, Isabella 
I Township, is a native of Canada, where, in 
Peel Co., Ont., he was born March 15^ 
1844. The father of Mr. Graham died when 
he, the son, was nine years old, and he lived 
with his mother, attending the common schools 
and aiding in her support, until he attained the age 
of 22 years. On arriving at this age he went to 
York Co., Can., and worked in the machine shop of 
Mr. John Abel, located at Woodbridge. He con- 
tinued in that vocation for four years and then re- 
turned to Peel County. After remaining in that 
county for a short period he came to this county and 
purchased 60 acres of wild land, on section 15, Isa- 
bella Township. This was in the fall of 1874, and 
the hand of improvement was hardly visible in the 
portion of the township in which he located. But 11 
acres on his place had been cliopped. He nevertheless 
had faith in the future development of the county, 
and with a firm determination to establish a perma- 
nent home for himself and family, he threw all his x|S 
energy mto the laborious though pleasant task of f 
making a home ; and of his original purchase of 60 
acres, 45 acres are at the present time well im- 
proved ; and he has erected thereon a stock and 
grain barn, together with other necessay buildings. 

Mr. (iraham was united in marriage Dec. 6, 1866, 
in York Co., Ont., to Miss Elizabeth Baldwin. She 






i|^i^®:^^t 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



f 



V 



^ 




was born in Peel Co., Ont., Jan. 6, 1846, and is of 
English extraction. When ten years of age her par- 
ents moved to York County, where Elizabeth was 
reared and educated in the common schools, and 
where she lived until her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Graham have been the parents of 
three children, one of whom is deceased. The liv- 
ing are Hugh W., born March 29, 1869; and Emily 
C, March 5, 1878. Laura, born April 30, 1870, died 
Nov. 8, 1 88 1. The father and mother are both 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. 
G., politically, is a Democrat. He has held the office 
of Townsliip Clerk and Deputy Sheriff, and is a re- 
spected and esteemed citizen of his township. 



^3= 



;"ohn Morrison, farmer on section 20, Chip- 
pewa Township, is a son of David and 
Cynthia (Dodge) Morrison, he a native of 
New York, and she of New England. They set- 
tled in Schenectady Co., N. Y., where he died 
May 6, 1838, and he Feb. 20, 1855. Their 
family numbered eight, John being the youngest. 

He was born in Schenectady Co., N. Y., May 6, 
1833, and remained with his parents until of age, al- 
ternately working on the farm and attending school. 
He attended both the common schools and a select 
school at Schenectady, .\ttaining the age of legal 
freedom, he worked out by the month from March to 
February, and returned home five days before his fa- 
ther's death. The latter had a life lease of his farm 
and had become badly involved by going security on 
notes, etc. John was appointed administrator of the 
estate, the duties pertaining to which office occupied 
him for a year and a half, during which time he car- 
ried on the farm. He then worked out for a year, 
and in March, 1858, came to Michigan, where he 
worked one season at carpentering, in Lenawee Coun- 
ty. In the fall of 1858 he rented a farm, but after 
putting in a crop of wheat he returned to Schnecta- 
dy Co., N. Y., for the winter. The following spring 
he came with his family to Lenawee County; and af- 
ter seven years' renting he bought a farm in Seneca, 
that county. There he lived until May, 1882, when 
he left his farm in charge of his son, and came to tliis 
county, arriving on the 15th of that month. He 




bought 280 acres in Chippewa Township, where he 
has since resided, having at present 120 acres under 
the plow. 

He was married in Schenectady Co., N. Y., March 
20, 1856, to Miss Alexina, daughter of John and Mary 
W. (Crossfield) Young, natives of Schenectady and 
Schoharie Counties. The parents settled in the form- 
er county, where the father died, in July, 1883. The 
mother survives. Mrs. Morrison was born in Duanes- 
burg, Schenectady County, April 28, 1833, and is the 
mother of three children: Wallwin J., born Feb. 5, 
1858; Ervvin D., Nov. 30, 1859; and Henry W., Dec. 
22, 1861. 

Mr. and Mrs. M. are prominent members of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he has been 
class-leader four years, Steward 1 1 years and Super- 
intendent of the Sunday-school five years. Mr. M. 
supports the Republican party, but is a strong tem- 
perance man and prohibitionist. He is now Deputy 
Township Clerk, Health Officer and School Inspec- 
tor. 



^[t afayette Oathout, farmer on section 19, 
i^ltf- Chi|)pewa, is a son of Sands and Lurancy 




(Stewart) Oathout, natives of Chemung and 
Madison Cos., N. Y. The father died Oct. 23, 
1882; the mother is a resident of this county, 
aged 74. Their family comprised four sons and 
four daughters, Lafayette being the youngest of the 
children. 

He was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., Oct. 21, 185 i, 
and at the age of 13 came with his parents to Isa- 
bella County. In the fall of 1874 he bought 40 acres 
in Chippewa Township, where he has since resided. 
He has added 40 acres to his first 40, and now has 
60 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Chippewa Township, Dec. 10, 
1876, to Miss Ella, daughter of Joel and Henrietta 
(Claywell) Thatcher, natives of Vermont and Penn- 
sylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher came to Gratiot 
County, this State, about 1858, and six years later 
settled in Lincoln Township, this county, where they 
now reside. Mrs. Oathout was born in Gratiot 
County, June i, 1859. She and her husband are the 
l)arents of three daughters, — Florence A., Grace M. 
aud Helen J. Politically, Mr. O. is a Republican. 



'v 






C< 



y^^ 

< 



c 



v> 



-v^. 









^ 'A/, J^^i-t^/Ui^ 






,i%S» 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^f^-|| 



1 



V 



(^ 



413 



Mr. O. s mother has been a member of the Presby- 
terian Church since 18 years of age. 

Mr. Oathout's older brother, EHiot D., was a mem- 
ber of Co. K, Eiglith Mich. Vol. Inf., was taken a 
prisoner of war by Forrest's men, and starved to 
death at Andersonville. 



^-.<^.E 




^Jiarles W. Richardson, of the firm of 
AUyn & Co., dealers in dry goods, gro- 
ceries, etc., Dnshville, was a son of Asa 
fe P. and Jane (Staples) Richardson. The fa- 
^ thei was born in the State of Vermont, April 
29> 1797- He followed the occnjiation of 
farming and lumbering, in the State of Maine, win- 
ters, and occupied his time summers in exploring 
land in that State. Living there until 1851, he 
moved to Ohio and located on a farm in Lorain 
County. He lived there for two years and then 
moved to Wood County, same State, where he fol- 
lowed the same vocation for seven or eight years. 
In 1870 he came to this county and located, with his 
son, on section 19, Fremont Township. He after- 
ward lived with his children until his death, March 
30, 1879. The mother was born in the State of 
Main'fe, June 25, 1806, and is yet living, with her son, 
at the advanced age of 77 years. They were the 
parents of 12 children, four of whom are living in 
Ohio and eight in this State. 

Charles W., the subject of this biographical notice, 
was born Dec. 3, 1845, in Franklin ("o., Maine. He 
remained under his parental care, attending the com- 
mon schools and assisting his father on the farm, 
until he attained the age of 18 years. On reaching 
this age in life he enlisted in Co. O, loth Ohio Vol. 
Cav. His command was under Kilpatrick and did 
gallant service for the Union. He partici[)ated in 
all the battles in which his comi)any was engaged, 
prominent amcng them being Ringgold and Resaca. 
The company participated in many minor engage- 
ments and skirmishes and Mr. R. passed through 
them all without receiving any serious wounds. His 
regiment was finally discharged at Lexington, N. C, 
Aug. 24, 1865, and he returned to Ihe home of his 
parents in Wood Co., Ohio. During that year he was 
united in marriage to Miss Eliza, daughter of Theo- 
dore and Catharine Inman. Her father was born in 



New Jersey, in 1831, and her mother in Buffalo, N. 
Y., in 1834. The daughter was born Feb. i, 1853, 
ill Sandusky Co., Ohio. 

Mr. Richardson came to this county in 1870 and 
located on 40 acres of wild land. He has since in- 
creased his acreage to 200, and, disposing of a por- 
tion, now owns 1 20 acres, a goodly portion of which 
is in a fine state of cultivation. He has also a half 
interest in a store at Dushville, and a half interest 
in a branch store at Two Rivers. 

When Mr. Richardson first came to this county he 
was scarcely worth $25, all told, and yet by con- 
tinual and laborious e.xertion he has secured a com- 
petency, and around his hearthstone content sits in 
the lap of plenty. He and his wife are the parents 
of five children, four girls and one boy, namely : 
Fannie M., Mary E., Lura B., Alta M. and Orrin H. 

Mr. Richardson politically is a believer in and 
supporter of the principles of the Republican party. 
He has held several offices of trust in the township 
and school district in which he lives, and is a re- 
spected and esteemed citizen thereof. 



I 



K- 



¥. 



V/ 



t^^i 



^^'UMW^^ 



eorge H. Sanford, general farmer, section 
17, Lincoln Township, was horn in Portage 
Township, Allegany Co., N. Y., Sept. i, 
'y^' 1832; was three years of age when the family 
came to this state and settled in Liberty Town- 
ship, Jackson County, on a farm, in pioneer 
times. Here the subject of this sketch grew toman- 
hood, as a farmer. 

April 14, 1853, he married Miss Elizabeth R. 
Begel, who was born in Howard Township, Steuben 
Co., N. Y., Dec. 25, 1832. When she was two years 
old her people moved to Hanover Township, Jackson 
C'o., Mich., where she lived until her marriage, re- 
ceiving a common-school education, and teaching 
school from the age of 16 to 20, the time of her mar- 
riage. The children of Mr. and Mrs. S. are, Clar- 
ence F., born Oct. 24, 1854; Herbert A., March 18, 'G 
i860; and Fred C, June 11, 1864. The eldest, a I 
deaf mute, graduated at the Asylum for the Deaf ^» 
and Dumb at Flint, Mich., June 30, 1S70. Theother (!> 
two are students at Hillsdale (Mich.) College, con- ^ 
temi)lating graduation at the State University at Ann ;. 
Arbor after completing their course at Hillsdale. ^ 



X-N^^)^^^ 



414 



>5 



(q^ 



i 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 









A year after their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Sanford 
located-on a farm of 150 acres in Moscow Township, 
Hillsdale County, a farm given him by his fatiier; 
and four years afterward they returned to Jackson 
County, and eight years still later they moved to 
Flint, in order to give their son an education at the 
State institution there. While residing in that city, 
Mr. Sanford was engaged in iuburance, real estate, 
lumber and lending money. In the spring of 1 870 he 
came to this county and located 400 acres of timber 
land, on sections 16, 17 and 20, Lincoln Township. 
He then owned also 1,000 acres of pine land in other 
parts of the State. His land property at present com- 
prises 440 acres at his homestead, 280 of pine land in 
Sheridan Township, Clare Co., Mich., and 40 in an- 
other part of the same county. Of his homestead, 
200 acres are well improved. 

Mr. Sanford is a reliable and leading Democrat, 
has held the office of Township Clerk one year, and 
other offices. 

In presenting Mr. Sanford's likeness on a previous 
page, we record permanently the features of a sub- 
stantial farmer and a worthy citizen. 



i^exter F. Arnold, resident at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, was born April 15, 1862, in the village 
where he has grown to manhood. He is 
*j^ the son of Irving E. and Adelaide (Ferris) 
W Arnold, and was the first child born within the 
present limits of Mt. Pleasant. (See sketch of 
Irving E. Arnold.) 

Mr. Arnold secured all the advantages of the com- 
mon schools of his native place, and at 17 was 
placed in the High School at Saginaw City, where he 
was a piipil 18 months. On his return to his native 
place he entered the abstract office of W. N. Brown, 
becoming silent partner. He remained in that con- 
nection until the spring of 1882, when he formed a 
partnership, with Fred Russell in the transaction of 
insurance business. The firm sold their business 
during the following winter to Hopkins & Lyon, and 
Mr. Arnold taugiit scliool one term at Sherman City. 
He engaged in the same business the same length of 
time, in district No. 5, in Coldwater Township, in the 
vicinity of Sherman City. His next engagement 
was in the office of Hopkins & Lyon, where he re- 




myv^>)«§^^ ^^^^^ 



mained in active duty until September, 1883. His 
present position is with W. I. Cutler, in his real-estate 
and abstract business. Politically, Mr. Arnold is a 
Democrat. He is the present Clerk of the village of 
Mt. Pleasant, having been elected in the spring of 



A42J2cr®^^ 



^4^4— v-®|-3izra?wv. 



^i ansom Kyes, farmer on section 6, Coe 
^_ Township, is a son of James and Cassan- 

\M^^' dana (Williams) Kyes (see sketch of 
A^\ Chauncey Kyes), and was born in Livings- 
ton Co., N. Y., Oct. 27, 1827. He was but 
three years old when the family came to the 
Peninsular State, and he lived with 'his parents un- 
til 18 years of age. He received a rudimentary 
English education, and was for one season employed 
as fireman on a lake steamer. During the two years 
following, he was engaged in a hotel at Parma, Tack- 
son Co., Mich. He rented a farm for two years in 
Calhoun County, at the expiration of which time he 
bought a small farm in the same county. Three 
years later, he sold, and in April, 1855, he came to 
Isabella County and purchased 200 acres in Coe 
Township. On this, his present residence, he settled 
with his family the following May, and his home has 
been there continuously except fivQ years, when he 
lived at Mt. Pleasant, as Sheriff of the county. He 
now owns 180 acres of land, of which 150 are in an 
advanced state of cultivation. 

Aug. 12, 1849, in Jackson Co., Mich., he was 
united in marriage with Harriet, daughter of Ezekiel 
and Margaret (Gillett) Livingston, natives of the 
State of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Livingston 
moved to Michigan in an early day, settling in Jack- 
son County, where he died, in August, 1844. She 
afterwards removed to Gratiot County, and died in 
January, 1863. Mrs. Kyes was born in Schoharie 
Co., N. Y., Oct. 14, 1827, and she and her husband 
have been the parents of seven children, three of 
whom survive, — Benj. F-., Douglass L. and L D. 
The four deceased are Charles, Josephine, Lillie Dell 
and Hattie. 

Mr. K. was elected Sheriff of Isabella County in 
1866, and held the office four years. He has also 
been Constable and Road Commissioner, and has 






^ 



S>' 



r 



<'wm^o^ 



j^aJ^^iy:;^ 



,«4i,;3i>^ 






;^w^ 



"mi 



®)$«^t#* 



^ 






:^: 



V 

I 



^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^^^.h^^sr 



415 




held the various school offices of his district. Politi- 
cally he sup|)orts the National party. 

In September, 1864, he enlisted in the loth Mich. 
Cav., and served till the close of the war, when he 
was honorably discharged at Knoxville, Tenn. He 
fought at Strawberry Plain, Tenn., Henry Court- 
House and High Point, N. C, and in numerous 
skirmishes. 



eorge Murtha, farmer on section 9, Coe 
Townshi|), was born in Ionia Co., Mich., 
Jan. 20, 1S49, and is the son of Patrick and 
Ann (Hoy) Murtha, natives of Ireland. (See 
sketch of S. P. Murtha.) He received a com- 
mon-school education, coming to this county 
with his parents when seven years old. He has re- 
sided in Coe Township, and owns 40 acres of land, 28 
of which are under cultivation. 

He was married in Chippewa Township, this 
county, July i, 1876, to Maria, daughter of Heniy 
and Eliza (VVickhani) Struble, natives of Coe Town- 
ship. Mrs. Murtha was born in Williams Co., Ohio, 
Nov. 14, 1858, and is the mother of tliree children, — ■ 
Mabel N., Winnifred and Leslie. 

Politically, Mr. M. is a worker in the ranks of the 
Democratic party. 



^olomon Wolfe, farmer on section 34, Chip- 
pewa Tp., is a son of Henry and Susanna 
(Bigley) Wolfe, natives of Pennsylvania, 
where the father died, Feb. 27, 1862. The 
mother resides in Gratiot Co., Mich. Solomon 
was born in Clarion Co., Pa., Nov. 17, 1837, and 
received but little schooling. He has a good practi- 
cal education, gained by observation and exi)erience. 
He lived at home until 32 years of age, with the ex- 
ception of the time spent in the army. 

He enlisted Aug. 7, 1861, in the Eighth Mich. Vol. 
Inf., and served till October, 1862. He was present 
at the capture of Fort Pulaski, Seabrook Ferry and 
James Island. At the last named engagement his 
skull was fractured by a rifle shot, and the same day 
his left leg was broken just above the knee by a 




minie ball, which was never extracted. In conse- 
quence of these wounds he was honorably discharged. 

Returning then to Gratiot County, this State, in 
1867 he bought 80 acres in Chippewa Township, 
where he now has 35 acres improved. 

He was married in Pine River, Gratiot County, 
June 17, 1868, to Julia A., daughter of Amos and 
Matilda Johnson, natives of Nova Scotia. Mr. John- 
son resides now in Gratiot County, but Mrs. J. is de- 
ceased. Mrs. Wolfe was born in Canada. To her 
and her husband seven children have been born : 
Mary E., Frederick W., Ximonia R., Foster W., Fan- 
cier W., Nina R. and Martha L. 

Mr. Wolfe is a Republican, is a member of Ralph 
Ely Post, G. A. R., and belongs to the F. & A. M. 



r^^||= illiam E. Ward, of the firm of C. A. & W. 
K. Ward, general merchants at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, was born Sept. 15, 1849, in Clyde, 

Wayne Co., N. Y. His parents, Chester A. 

and Caroline D. (Young) Ward, removed to 
the city of New York when he was but a boy, 
where they resided about five years. They after- 
wards came, in 1858, to Burr Oak, St. Joseph Co, 
Mich., and remained until the fall of 1867. The son 
spent his boyhood years in attending school, and at 
13 years of age began to aid his father as a clerk in 
his store, where he was thus occupied about two 
years. His next engagement was in the postoffice 
and express office, where he was employed over a 
year. He spent some years operating as a clerk for 
various persons, and in the fall of 1867 he went to 
St. Francis Co., Mo., as clerk in the store of a New 
York mining company, who were interested in the 
St. Joseph lead mines in that county. He served as 
a salesman in their store about a year, when he took 
charge of a gang of men who were employed in the 
sieving department, engaged in separating the 
metal from the ore. This engagement lasted about 
a year, when he returned to Burr Oak, and went 
thence soon after to Branch County, where he en- 
gaged as a clerk at Coldwater. He returned a year 
later to Burr Oak and not long after proceeded to 
Cleveland, Ohio. He found employ in the dry and 
fancy goods store of Hower & Higbee of that city, 
where he operated several months. He went thence 




^ 






\y 



% 



m 



-si-ih. 



.^^ 



A<^^n!]^:Dn^1>A^9 — ^^;^ 



-^7^=^(^ 



I 



t 



#' 



>^■-li^ir^^ 



r^=^ 



416 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



>^ 






(o\ 



to Hamilton, Can., where he spent 14 months in busi- 
ness for himself. His next remove was to Stanton, 
Montcalm County, this State, where he again engaged 
as a salesman and operated in that capacity between 
two and three years. He turned his attention next 
to the business of a lumber inspector and scaler, in 
which he was occupied two years. In 1879 he went 
to Blanchard, Isabella County, and associated with 
his father in the management of a grocery and pro- 
vision store. In June, 1880, they came to Mt. 
Pleasant, and, in company with Christopher Chrysler, 
opened the business in which he and his father are 
now engaged. Mr. Chrysler terminated his connec- 
tion with the concern after about four months, when 
the firm style became C. A. & W. E. Ward. Their 
business, though of recent establishment, is already 
thriving and popular. 




i-W-i^-J- 



jErtin A. Tombs, farmer, section 16, Cold- 
water Township, was born Jan. 2, 1S28, 
'^ in Genesee Co., N. Y., and is the son of 
William and Alta (Smith) Tombs. In 1846 
the family removed to Michigan and resided 
four years in Hillsdale County. In 1850 they 
went to De Kalb Co., 111., and later to Kendall 
County, in that State, where the mother died, in 
18S0. The father lives in Kane Co., 111., and, asso- 
ciated with one of his sons, is managing a grist- 
mill, which he purchased soon after the death of his 
wife. 

Mr. Tombs was an inmate of his father's home 
until the removal of the family to De Kalb County, 
where he became the piaprietor of 80 acres of land, 
acquiring 40 acres by purchase and 40 acres by gift 
from his father. He sold his property two years 
later, and in 1852 he went to California, where he 
spent two years in mining and lumbering. He was 
accompanied to the Golden State by tiiree brothers 
and made the journey thither by the overland route. 
He worked by the month in a saw-mill, for the stipu- 
lated sum of $100 per month, but his emi)loyer 
failed and he lost his arrearage of wages, amounting 
to $1,500. He returned to Illinois and purchased 40 
acres of land in Kendall County, where his father 
then resided. He occupied the place a year, sold 
out and went to Bremer Co., Iowa, where he bought 




80 acres of farming land, entered a homestead claim 
of 80 acres and bought 40 acres additional of timber 
land. Two years later, he again sold out and made 
another overland journey to California, taking with 
hiin his wife and three children. He bought a farm 
of 320 acres of land, and, after carrying on agricul- 
ture for five years, he again sold out and came to 
Hillsdale Co., Mic)i. He remained there about two 
months and came to St. John's, Clinton Co., Mich. 
His wife and one daughter then returned to Califor- 
nia, while his son and himself, in May, 1S70, came to 
Isabella County and purchased 160 acres of unim- 
proved land. On this property he has since resided, 
with the exception of the time consumed in making 
two trips to California, by rail. Mr. Tombs is a Re- 
publican in political faith and has been Highway 
Commissioner three terms, and served as Treasurer 
of his school district. 

He was married in October, 1850, toMary Thomas. 
She was born in 1831, and is the daughter of William 
and Mary Thomas. Four children have been born 
of their marriage, as follows; Theodore A., May 12, 
1848; Louisa, Nov. 2, t849; Mary, Sept. 24, 1851 ; 
Dora, Nov. 3, 1855, died Aug. 22, 1856. 



•\ta£S/^^r' 



-/^^J/Zrjrjrjv. 




illiam H. Bowen, lumberman, resident on 
section 6, Wise Township, was born July 
26, 1827, in Montgomery Co., N. Y. His 
ij^-i^ parents, Nicholas and Nancy Bowen, were 
natives of Montgomery Co., N. Y , and died 
in Onondaga County, in the Empire State. 
Mr. Bowen obtained his education at the common 
schools and remained at home until 28 years of 
age, spending his time in farming and running a 
thresher. After that period he was variously occupied 
until 1861, when he engaged exclusively in farming. 
In 1869 he came to Clinton Co., Mich., and built a 
threshing-machine, which he has since continued to 
manage, in connection with lumbering. He came to 
Isabella County in the spring of 1883 and bought 20 
acres of land, which was chiefly in timber. He 
erected thereon a saw-mill, with a producing capacity 
of 10,000 feet of lumber daily. Politically, he is a 
Democrat. 

Mr. Bowen was married March 2, 1855, in Onon- 



V^ 



4 






(^ 



a. 



^\§^m^ 



^^^^ 



-^^D!l:^DI]r>A 



J 

m 

v-?^: 



r.''^^ 

ff 



Z2risij^Sr 



<r 



.i>v 



■rr-TV.HHo* 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^Z^ijarCiK 






"^ 



(i) 



daga Co., N. Y., to Lucy A. Marvin. She was born 
in that county, and is the daughter of Robert D. 
^ Marvin. Her parents were both natives of the Em- 
^\ pire State. Ida M-, Willard B., George A., Hattie 
J and Jennie are the names of the five children born 
Sr to Mr. and Mrs. Bowen. 



f :a^ 



mSi p\)i5. avid Looniis, farmer, section 



Liiicobi 
Township, was born in Waterford Town- 
ship, Erie Co., Pa., Dec. 14, 1834. 
The father of Mr. Loomis, David D., was 
^ a native of New York, of New England parent- 
i age and English extraction. He was a descend- 
ant of the old Puritan fathers who left their native 
country to seek a home free from persecution. He 
followed the occupation of a farmer in New York un- 
til 1838, when he brought his family to this State and 
settled in Oakland County. They finally came to 
this county and the father died here, in Union 
Township, Sept. 16, 1881. David's mother, Sarah 
(DeCamp) Loomis, was a native of Pennsylvania, of 
Spanish and Irish descent, and died shortly after the 
family's arrival in Oakland County, about the year 



m 



David was only four years of age when his parents 
came to this State, and consequently has spent the 
greater portion of his life here. He remained with 
his father until he attained the age of 16 years, 
when, with his father's consent, he launched his life- 
boat on the sea of fortune and went forth to battle 
against the obstacles strewn along the pathway of 
prosperity. He worked as a common laborer on the 
neighboring farms until 1861. 

Nov. 9, 1861, he responded to the Nation's call 
for loyal hearts and strong arms to battle for the per- 
petuity of her dishonored and insulted flag, and 
enlisted in Co. K., 14th Mich. Vol. Inf., which was 
assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and under 
command of Gen. Rosecrans. He participated in 
three active engagements — Stone River, Lavergne 
and Nashville — and several skirmishes. He escaped 
uninjured, but, becoming indisposed, he was sent to 
the hospital at Nashville, Tenn., and received an 
honorable discharge on surgeon's certificate of dis- 
ability, April 16, 1863. He returned to this State 
and again entered on the vocation of a farmer. 




Mr. Loomis was united in marriage Oct. 6, 1864, 
in Clinton County, this State, to Miss Lucy M. 
Sutliff, a native of this State, where she was born 
Oct. 30, 1 84 1, in Hillsdale County. 

Mr. and Mrs. Loomis are the parents of 12 chil- 
dren. The living are: Lizzie F., Emma, Nellie, 
Nettie, Mary A., Hattie, Sarah D. and Lucy E. 
The deceased are : Emi, Amelia, Jessie and Ar- 
thur Garfield. 

Four years after marriage Mr. Loomis brought his 
family lo this county and settled on 160 acres of 
wild land on section i, Lincoln Township, which he 
.had purchased. He afterwards exchanged this land 
for 47 acres on the same section and 40 acres on 
section 36, Union Township. Of the 87 acres on 
which he is at present living, 75 acres are cleared 
and improved. Both husband and wife are identi- 
fied with the First Congregational Church of Victor, 
Clinton County. 

Mr. Loomis has held the school offices of his dis- 
trict, and in politics is an ardent supporter of the 
principles of the Republican party. 




VS^ 



(^ 



$^: 






^ll^ eorge Atkin, iurmer on section 6, Coe 
Township, is a son of William and Helen 
(Bacon) Atkin, natives of England, where 
^ they passed all their lives. Their family inclu 
ded six sons and six daughters, George being 
the fourth son. 
He was born in England, May 16, 1820. He was 
educated in his native country, and remained a resi- 
dent of Albion's Isle until 27 years old, learning the 
trade of lace-making. May 21, 1847, he sailed for 
the Great Republic, arriving the following month. 
He located at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., and for the 
first season worked by the month at farming. He 
then worked a farm on shares for one season, after 
which he bought a farm of 24 acres, and worked it 
until 1855, when he sold. In April of that year he 
came West in search of a home, and located 125 fo) 
acres on section 6, Coe Township, under the Gradu- [ 
ation Act. He at once erected a log house and be- j^ 
gan to improve his land; but, his means being limi- ^ 
ted, he was obliged to work out much of the time of ^ 
the first year that he wished to devote to clearing his fc^ 
own farm. As an additional means for raising money, ^ 



J=iU^ 



<^ll !1 % WO^^ ^^^^ 




Z^i:>^sipi^~ 



mmm>T 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



#^f 



'^ 



^ he sold 40 acres. By untiring industry and persever- 
1^ ance, and the assistance of a faithful and loving wife, 
.^ he has been able to clear 45 acres, which area is now 
I in an advanced state of cultivation. 

He was married in England, in May, 1843, to 
Sophia, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Wallace) 
Hodson, natives of England. Mrs. Atkin was born 
in England, March 18, 1818, and is the mother of 
seven children, four of whom survive, — Joseph, Wil- 
liam, Caroline E. and Susan E. The deceased are 
Sarah H., George and an infant. 

Mr. Atkin has been Justice of the Peace two years, 
Postmaster three years, Tax Collector nine successive 
years, and has held all the offices in his school dis- 
trict. He is politically an ardent Republican. He 
belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of 
England. 



:') 



V 




eorge W. Howorth, farmer on section 2i_ 
Chippewa Township, is a son of Peter and 
■ Mary (Fay) Howorth, natives of England 
and New York State. The mother died in 1842. 
George was born in Wyoming C'o., N. Y., April 
I, 1826, and lived in the State of New York 
till aboujt 25 years old, when he went to Erie Co., 
Pa. Two years later he came to Jackson County, 
this State, where he remained 18 months. In Janu- 
ary, 1856, he came to Isabella County and bought 
1 60 acres in Chippewa Township. He has since dis- 
posed of 60 acres and has 50 acres nicely improved. 
He was first married in Erie Co., Pa., April 4, 
1847, to Sophronia A. Godfrey, a native of New 
York State. Five of their seven children are living : 
Helen M., Delavan G., Mary A., Julia R. and Melvin 
L.; and two are deceased: Henry H. and Darwin 
L. His wife dying May 30, 1878, Mr. Howorth was 
again married, in November, 1878, to Amaretta, 
daughter of William D. and Deborah (Carrier) Kim- 
ball, and widow of John B. Waite. She was born in 
Delaware Co., N. Y., March 12, 1839, and she and 
Mr. H. have one son, Claud W. 

Mr. H. has been Township Clerk, Highway Com- 
missioner, Justice of the Peace, Notary Public, County 




Superintendent of the Poor, etc. He was in February, 
1882, appointed Postmaster of Alembic, which office 
he now holds. Politically, he is a Republican. He 
and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 



-{- 



-5— 




^{ 8K|-|3linton B. Twomley, carpenter and joiner, 
resident at Mt. Pleasant, was born Feb. 
16, 1846, in Newstead, Erie Co., N. Y. He is 
a son of James C. H. and Miranda C. (Miller) 
Twomley. His father was a farmer and re- 
moved when his son was but three years of 
age to Cattaraugus County. 

Mr. Twomley received a good education and was 
trained to the calling of agriculture, which he fol- 
lowed until he was 21 years old, when he learned the 
carpenter's trade. In 1867, he came to Jonesville, 
Hillsdale Co., Mich., and remained there until the 
fall of 1873, when he transferred his residence to 
Orange Township, Ionia County. He spent one 
year on a farm, and came to Mt. Pleasant, where he 
has worked as a builder and contractor and spent 
the winter season in teaching. He has taught seven 
terms of school in Isabella County. He taught in 
the winter of 1883-4 in Lincoln Township. 

Mr. Twomley was married in Danby Township, 
Ionia County, .^pril 4, 1872, to Mary, daughter of 
Jesse and Sarah Wellfare. She was born Sept. ig, 
1852, in Tekonsha, Calhoun Co., Mich. The family 
includes one child, — Ethel I., — born Jan. 12, 1881, 
at Mt. Pleasant. 



-g^^XO u. 




^^Itndrew J. O'Boyle, farmer on section 33, 
Coe Township, was born in New York 
State, July 4, 1854. and is thesonof John 
5l!M' and Mary (Connolly) O'Boyle, natives of Ire- 
land. At the age of 19, he was employed as 
I a brakeman on the Canada Southern Railroad, 
for about one year. He was afterward, for about a 
year and a half, in th; employ of the Baltimore & 
Ohio Railroad Company. He came to Isabella 
County in 1874, and bought 40 acres in Coe Town- 
ship, on which he settled three years later. 

He was married in Gratiot Co., this State, in March, 



e 



A 



^^\ 






(^•\®))€$i#- 



-^Si-A?!*^ 



.Li. 



■^-tiii:^:tlti;^ ^ ' g ^«^ ^^^ 



-4^^^fi^i:^ 




T^J^ay^^Sr 



^nn^iiD^^ 



V 






2 



TTT^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■"ZifsS^^sr 



?r, to Jennie, daughter of Thomas and Amanda 
Gallaglier, residents of Gratiot County, where tlie 
daughter was born Jan. 27, 1S56. Mr. O'Boyle is a 
Cathohc, while his wife belongs to the Methodist 
Church. Politically, he votes the Democratic ticket. 



^i,flWv Frederick Speck, farmer, section 27, 

^jsr-jsfi Nottawa Township, is a son of Jacob 

||g Speck, a native of Prussia who landed at 

A? Quebec, Canada, June 12, 1863; lived in New 

\ Hamburg three years, then at Wyandotte, 

Wayne Co., Mich., 1866-74, working most of the 

time at the molder's trade and the rest of the time at 

farming ; then was a farm laborer in Clinton County 

a year, and finally settled in this county. 

Frederick was born in Holstein, Prussia, Jan. 4, 
1846; April 19, 1878, he married Miss Jessie, 
daughter of John and Maggie (Bain) Hyslop, natives 
of Scotland and still living, in Nottawa Township. 
Mr. S. has no children. He owns 80 acres of land 
where he now resides, having 30 acres in cultivation 
and prospering as a farmer. With regard to na- 
tional issues he acts with the Democratic party ; is 
now School Assessor, and has been Supervisor one 
year. Mrs. S. is a member of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church. 

■ H >/v^^S-2^S-vi }r^ 



eorge Bleseh farmer, section 22, Coldwaler 
Township, was born Dec. 20, 1846, in the 
"c)&" ^ township of Berlin, Waterloo Co., Ont., 
'vK'^ and is the son of Michael and Margaret 
(Meckler) Bleseh. The parents were both 
born in the vicinity of Elsass, Germany, and 
died in Waterloo Co., Can. 

Mr. Bleseh was four years of age when his father 
died and left his mother with two sons. She married 
again and her son remained in the Aimily until he 
was 12 years old, when he became a clerk in a store 
and afterwards was an assistant in a hotel. After 
reaching the period of his legal freedom, he attended 
the College of St. Jerome, and acquired a fair educa- 




tion, after which he came to Michigan. He was for 
three years engaged in the lumber business for Edwin 
Hall. In 1871 he came to Coldwater and home- 
steaded his place, entering his claim on the 14th day 
of November. He resided on it at intervals of six 
months, and in the fall of the succeeding year he 
returned to Canada, where he was married, Oct. i, 
1872, to Mary Ann, daughter of Wendell and Cath- 
erine (Hass) Biek. She was born June 25, 1854, in 
Prussia, and when she was seven weeks old her par- 
ents emigrated to Canada, where her father worked 
a few years at his trade, and then bought a farm. 
They are now passing their declining years in Hawks- 
ville. Can. 

Mr. and Mrs. Bleseh have had six children : Joseph 
William was born Aug. 20, 1873; George S., June 
20, 1875; Bertha Amelia, March 13, 1877 ; Ida Ma- 
tilda, May 6, 1S80; Mary Norma, April 19, 1882; 
Allan Louis, April 16, 1884. The parents are mem- 
bers of the Catholic Church. Mr. Bleseh is a Re- 
publican, and has held various local offices. He 
now owns 160 acres of land, having added 80 acres 
to his original purchase. Of this, 65 acres are in 
tillasie. 



va 









c^: 



K||Sj||enjamin P. Mount, farmer section 34, 
^iifeiSJ^ Gilmore Township, was born May 18, 
^fi^'^ 1832, in Middlesex Co., N.J. His par- 
ents, William and Lydia (Pierce) Mount, 
were natives of the State of New Jersey 
and are both deceased. 
At the age of 17 years Mr. Mount became the 
arbiter of his own fortunes. His first move was to 
proceed to the city of New York, where he learned 
the variety of business known as spar-making, which 
he pursued 13 years. In 1862 he settled in Jackson 
Co., Mich., where he bought a farm. Three years 
later he went to Livingston Co., III., where he be- 
came the proprietor of a second farm and there re- 
sided eight years. At the expiration of that time, 
he sold his i)ro|)erty in the Prairie State and returned 
to Jackson Co., Mich., where he again became the 
owner of ji farm, which he cultivated until 1879. In 
that year he removed his family and interests to Isa- 
bella Co., Mich., where he owns and resides upon 80 
acres of land in Gilmore Township, and has 55 acres 



V/ 

< 



-^m^ ii-:^<;[j!]^[|||;'^>A^ ^^^^^ -f^^^?^(<li>® 



'mi 



^^m^ 



420 



f 



(h 






'^ 



V 



(c\ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



under good improvement. About 30 acres were un- 
der culture at the date of purchase. In 1881 he was 
made Township Treasurer by appointment. 

Mr. Mount was the first time married in April, 
1856, to Adeline E., daughter of George and Fran- 
ces Deborah (Field) King. She was born Nov. 16, 
183S, and died Aug. 3, 1874. Following is the record 
of the children which constituted the issue of this 
marriage: George W., born June 23, 1858, died 
Aug. 25, r86o; Susan Frances, born June 25, i860; 
Mary E., June 17, 1863; Julia E., born Jan. 6, 1868, 
died Dec. 4, 1871; Caroline, Feb. 26, 1871. Mr. 
Mount was a second time married Nov. 6, 1877, to 
Huldah J., daughter of Norman and Sarah D. (Day- 
ton) Collins. She was born Aug. 26, 1844. Of 
three children born of this marriage one survives. 
Following is the record : William R. was born Jan. 
16, 1878, and died Jan. 21, 1883; Sarah A. was 
born Aug. 16, r88o, and died Sept. 28, 1881 ; 
Verenea J., was born May 21, 1883. 




i illiam H. Elden, of the firm of Elden & 
White, dealers in jewelry, sewing-machines, 
'p stationery, etc., at Clare, was born in Gen- 
* esee County, this State, July 18, 1850; and 
lived with his mother (his father dying when 
i, William, was five years old) until 1 2 years of 
age, attending school and assisting on the farm, 
which was the support of his widowed mother. He 
was the third of a family of six, — three sons and 
three daughters. 

From 12 to 20 he worked out in the summer and 
attended school in the winter. At 20 he went to 
Saginaw and bought 40 acres of improved land, which 
he cultivated for two years. His next move was to 
Midland, where he was apprenticed to learn the 
jeweler's trade under George W. Abbey. Serving his 
time of two years, he married and came with his wife 
to Clare, where he established a jewelry store with a 
small stock. This has been enlarged to meet the 
demands of an increased patronage, and he and his 
partner (received Oct. 15, 1883) now have a stock 
worth $z,ooo, with an annual trade worth $8,000. 




V^ 



He owns their business building, and three improved 
lots in the village. 

His marriage occurred at Saginaw, Nov. 18, 1873, 
to Miss Mary Steckert, who was born April 28, 1855, 
in Saginaw County. Their two children are Edna 
S., born April 28, 1874, and Ethel, born Nov. 12, 

1879- 

Mr. and Mrs. E. are members of the Congrega- 
tional Church, of which Mr. E. is clerk. He has 
been Justice of the Peace and has served as Town- 
ship Clerk one year and Village Treasurertwo years. 
He is a member of the A. O. U. W. and is politically 
a Republican. 

I^"^^:- _ amuel Earl, farmer, section 14, Lincoln 
'kM!i\ Township, is a native of the State of Ohio, 
^K '" where, in Colun)bia County, he was born 
l\^ Jan. 4, 1 83 1. His parents, Daniel and Eliz- 
abeth (Little) Earl, were natives of the same 
State and County in which Samuel was born, 
and were of English and German descent. The fa- 
ther was a blacksmith by trade, and during the latter 
days of his life turned his attention to farming. 
Both parents are deceased, the father dying Nov. 19, Z 
1883, aged nearly 82 years, and the mother in 1868, 
aged 65 years. 

Samuel worked on the parental homestead and 
aided the father in the maintenance of the family 
until he attained the age of maturity. On arriv- 
ing at this age, he went forth to " plant his roses on 
the hill of difficulty." They grew not without thorns, 
and he engaged as a common laborer on the farms 
in the county where his parents had moved. He 
followed this vocation until the event of his marriage 
with Miss Mary A. Putman, which occurred in that 
county March 15, 1S55. She was the daughter ot 
Michael and Elizabeth (Bates) Putman, natives of 
Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and of German and 
English extraction, and was born in Wyandot Co., 
Ohio, April 29, 1839. 

One year after their marriage Mr. Earl rented a 1 
farm, which he successfully cultivated for a short ►■ ;^- 
period, and then purchased a home of his own, ^ 
consisting of 40 acres and situated in Sandusky, ^ 
Co., Ohio. He lived on this homestead until 1876^ (^ 
wiien he sold it and moved to Rising Sun, Ohio, for ^ 






C< 



»e/ 



^ 



|^V®))^#- 



.c^^ 



<^D!l^tIlli>^ ^<€»^ 



-"^^Jf®/":^^; 




^auo^^^Z/ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



425 



^^ 



J 



'<■ 



V 



^ 




three years, or until 1879. In tiie spring of that 
year -he came to this State, and purchased 120 
acres of land on section 14, Lincoln Townshi]), tliis 
county, where he at present resides. 

Mr. and Mrs. Earl are the parents of six children, 
viz : Leroy, horn Oct. 30, 1856, married Miss Lydia 
Hill and now resides at Rising Sun, Ohio; Alpheus 
Jefferson, born June 15, 1859, married Miss Sophia 
Stahl and resides in Sandusky Co., Ohio ; Jacob, born 
Dec. 12,1868; Dorsey, born June 10, i874;Truby, 
born Dec. 28, 1S77 ; Nettie, born July 16, i<S66, died 
March 17, 1869. 

Mr. Earl is a member of no Church, but believes 
in the " Golden Rule." Politically, he is a believer 
in and su[)i)orter of the principles of the Democratic 
party. 



on. Samuel W. Hopkins, of Mt. Pleasant, 
■^ is a son of Samuel and Freelove Burlingame 
*5^ (Arnold) Hopkins. The father was born in 
''^ Coventry, R. I., Jan. 10, 1803, the son of Rufus 

I and Amy (Shippee) Hopkins. Rufus Hopkins 
was the son of Esquire Samuel and Phcbe (Case) 
Hopkins. Esquire Samuel Hopkins' father was Judge 
Samuel Hopkins, who was the son of Joseph Hop- 
kins. The last named married a daughter of Edward 
Whallcy, one of the regicide judges who fled from 
England upon the restoration of Charles II. Judge 
Whalley lived and is buried upon Hopkins' Hill, West 
Greenwich, R. I. It is from this ancestor that the 
subject of this biography takes his middle name, 
si)elling it with but one " 1," however. Most of the 
Hopkins family have been engaged in the great 
industry of Rhode Island, — cotton manufacturing. 

Mrs. Freelove Burlingame (Arnold) Hopkins was 
Iwrn in Warwick, R. I., Jan. 15, 1807, the daughter 
of Elijah and Sally (Gorton) Arnold. She was an 
only daughter, and had three brothers. Elijah 
Arnold was the 17th child of James and Freelove 
(Burlingame) Arnold, and James Arnold was the son 
of Thomas Arnold, who bought a square mile of 
land in Warwick, R. I., and divided it into six farms. 
The mother of the subject of this sketch was i)orn 
on tlie middle one of these (on Cowesett road), known 
as Arnold's Square. 

Mrs. Sally (Gorton) .\rnold, Mr. Hopkins' maternal 

>;^<^^^^ ^-^(^ 



^KV5>)€§1#' 



grandmother, was. the daughter of William and Sally 
(Whitford) Gorton. William Gorton was the son of 
Dr. Samuel Gorton, whose father was Samuel Gorton. 
This ancestor came to Massachusetts from England, 
and was called a heretic by the Puritans, who drove 
him from their colony. He bought a home of the 
Indians in Rhode Island and named it " Patu.\et." 
He lived to be a centenarian. 

Samuel Hopkins, the father of Samuel W. Hop- 
kins, lived in the towns of Coventry, West Green- 
wich and Exeter, R. I., until 1857, extensively engaged 
in the manufacture of cotton goods. He built several 
mills, and was a prominent man in his section of the 
country. The great financial panic of 1857, which 
engulfed so many thousands in the vortex of ruin 
and which affected 10 some degree every business 
man in the United States, was the end of his active 
business career. He had been a very energetic 
man, of sanguine disiX)sition and buoyant spirits, 
but this failure seemed to break his strength of 
mind. With the remnant of his means he bought 
80 acres of land in Coventry, Conn., where he lived 
a retired life until his death, Feb. 19, 1875. His 
family included nine children, — seven sons and two 
daughters. Seven of the nine lived to adult age. 

Samuel Whaley Hopkins, the youngest of the 
family, was born April i, 1845, in Exeter, R. I., where 
he lived until the age 1 1 years. He was very preco- 
cious, being able to read and spell when but three 
years of age. He attended the district school in Exeter 
for a time before leaving that town. In 1856 the 
family moved to Coventry, Conn. Here he studied 
in the district school and also received private in- 
struction from Miss Mary K. Hutchinson. 

At the age ot 15 he attended the Ellington Acad- 
emy, and the following year the academy at Man- 
chester. The ensuing winter he taught at Andover, 
then he spent the summer at home on the farm, and 
the next winter he taught at Willimantic, Conn. 
After another summer at home he was for a month 
or so at Charleston, S. C, selling boots and shoes for 
a brother, then went to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend 
the Bryant & Stratton Business College. Soon after 
his arrival, Mr. Felton, resident Principal of the 
Bryant & Stratton sc'hool, and a Mr. Bigelow, estab- 
lished the Union Business College, from which Mr. 
Hoi)kins was graduated in the spring (1865). 

He was at home the summer of that year, sold 



m 



C< 



s.y 



^My- 



s^^^. 



■^>)^^>N: 



r 

I 






'4^6 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^^^^^(^j\'\* 



U 






>C' 



^ books in the fall, and taught school near home in the 
'I) winter. The ensuing two years were spent ]mrtly at 
•'.*.T» home and partly in selling Ijooks for Gurdon Bill 
* and Henry Bill, publishers. In the fall of 1868 he 
taught a select school at Andover. He taught at 
Little Falls, N. J., the next two years. Daring 
the summer season he read law with Benezeret 
H. Bill, of Rockville, Conn. In the summer of rSyo 
he studied law at home, and in the fall he entered 
the Law Department of the Michigan University. 
f He took a two years' course at that institution, study- 
.3 ing in the summer of 1871 with Hon. John M. H;ill, 
"% of Willimantic, Conn. 

He was graduated in March, 1872, and then vis- 
ited at home for a few weeks, after which he located 
temporarily at Grand Rapids, this State. There he 
was admitted to the Bar, but he was principally occu- 
pied in settling the estate of a Mr. Gardner. While 
A at Clare, Clare County, making collections for the 
estate, he met the Hon. I. A. Fancher, of Mt. Pleas- 
ant, who induced him to make Isabella County his 
future home. These two gentlemen were partners in 
the practice of law for three years. Mr. Hopkins 
was then for two years connected with Michael Dcv- 
ir? eraux. Commencing with Jan. i, 1875, his partner 
"Y was, for nearly two years. Wade B. Smith. He then 
associated with himself Free Estee, whohad formerly 
studied law with him. Mr. H.'s health having 
failed, his business was looked after almost entirely 
by his partners, first Mr. Smith, then Mr. Estee. He 
spent two summers at Higgins Lake, Roscommon 
County, and in the winter of 1881-2 visited his 
mother at Coventry, Conn., where lie remained for 
six months. 

The first of January, 1883, he formed his present 
business com ection with Daniel E. Lyon. Tliey do 
an extensive business in real estate, insurance and 
loans. In 1883 they loaned over $100,000. They 
represent 11 sound insurance companies, and do the 
largest business in that line in the county. He is 
a director in llie banking house of Brown, Harris 
& Co. 

Mr. Hopkins is politically a staunch Republican. 
He has always taken a deep interest in politics, and 
he has been and still is of great influence. He has 
^.^ served his community in numerous official jxjsitions, 
(^ with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constit- 
^ uents. While in Coventry, Conn., he was, at the age 



) 



^ 



I 



of 22, elected a member of the School Board, on 
both tickets, Ddnocratic and Republican. He served 
three years. In the early part of 1S73 he was ap- 
pointed Clerk of Union Township, this county, to fill 
a vacancy, and the same spring he was elected to 
that position. He was twice re-elected Clerk, and 
he also served seven years as Justice of the Peace. 
He also officiated a year or so as Deputy Township 
Clerk, while holding the latter office. He was for 
one term Superintendent of Schools at Mt. Pleasant, 
and for three years Chairman of the Board of School 
Trustees. He was the first Village Attorney of Mt. 
Pleasant. 

In 1875-6 he served the county as Prosecuting 
Attorney. During his term he literally reformed the 
village of I^omis, which had become infested with 
criminals and law-breakers. He was also instru- 
mental in breaking up an organization known as the 
Knights of Agriculture, which had been formed for 
proper purposes but which had drifted into the 
management of bad men. He also defended the 
county against an injunction brought by the authori- 
ties of Vernon Township (to which Clare county had 
been attached) in a matter involving a large sum of 
tax money. He afterwards, in the Legislature, de- 
fended the county in a similar case against the 
counties of Mecosta and Midland, to each of which 
a moiety of Isabella County was formerly attached 
for municii)al purposes. This matter brought on a 
hard-fought struggle of four weeks in the Legisla- 
ture, and at 'every step Mr. Hopkins won. 

He was elected to the Legislature first in the fall 
of 1876, running against Henry H. Graves, and look 
his seat in January following. He was a member of 
the Committees on Judiciary, Public Lands and Liquor 
Traffic. During this session he introduced a bill 
making libel a crime. This measure passed the 
House, but was killed in the Senate. In the fall of 
1878 he was re-elected to the House, taking his seat 
in January, 1879. He was at this time a member of 
the (Committee on Judiciary, and Chairman (though 
youngest member) of the most important committee 
of the session — Special Joint Committee on Taxa- 
tion. In this he was associated with Messrs. Hall, 
Stanchfield, Ferguson and Kuhn, of the House, and 
three of the ablest members of the Senate, — J. W. 
Ciiilds, of Washtenaw, James W. Cochrane, of Mid- 
land, and George A. Farr, of Ottawa. They pre- 



^ 






^ 



v/ 



^^V®>M§^ 



r 



^ 
^ 



_:5^;^?^;{^l_ 



-^^^o a r^ nii;>^^ — ^^^^^ 



w 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^■^i^ 



i 

1 

I=Z 

I 



(h> 



pared and introduced a bill reorganizing the tax 
system of the State. This bill passed the House, but 
was lost in the Senate. The next year a commis- 
sion was apix)inted by the Governor, which carried 
into effect the provisions of the law now in force, 
which are much like those in Mr. Hopkins' bill. He 
has been for the last six years Chairman of the 
Republican County Committee, which position he 
now fills. In the fall of 1882 he was unanimously 
nominated for the office of Prosecuting Attorney. 
Not desiring this iX)sition, he made no canvass, and 
his opponent, Charles T. Russell, was elected. In 
1877 he was nominated for President of the Village. 

Mr. Hopkins platted an addition to Mt. Pleasant 
in 1874, on the south, known as " Hopkins' Addi- 
tion." 

He was married at Jerusalem, N. Y , Dec. 10, 1873, 
to Miss Margaretta, eldest daughter of Rev. Dr. 
Edwin Vedder and Ida (Williamson) Vedder. Dr. V. 
is a native of Schenectady, N'. Y., and his wife, of 
New Jersey, and both live at Jerusalem, Albany Co., 
N. Y. Mrs. Hopkins was born Feb. i, 1846, at Lit- 
tle Falls, N. J., and lived successively at that place, 
Berne, Middleburg, Gallupville, Schoharie and New 
Scotland. All these places but the first are in the 
State of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins have 
had one son, Herbert Vedder, born at Mt. Pleasant, 
Aug. 21, 1876, and died at Jerusalem, N. Y., Aug. 4, 
1877. Mrs. H. is a Presbyterian, and Mr. H. is a 
member of the Unitarian Society, of which be has 
been for two years Vice-President. In 1884, Mr. 
Hopkins was chosen Alternate to the Chicago Con- 
vention that nominated Blaine and Logan. 

The portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are pre- 
sented on other pages of this work. 

^4->— 5- 



^mWyl hydelous F. Bennett, farmer, section 32, 
|;Km^; Nottawa Township, is a son of J. J. and 
t^i-l^ Priscilla (Margeson) Bennett, natives of 
^ New York State, the former born Jan. 26, 
'/i|- 1821, and the latter Dec. 26, 1830; both are 
still living. 
'l"he subject of this sketch was born Sept. 12, 1852, 
lived with his parents until of age, when he pur- 
chased an unimproved 80-acre tract and settled 
uix)n it, where he now resides. The place is in 
good condition. He has been Township Treasurer 




two years and Supervisor two years. In ixjlitical mat- 
ters he is a Democrat, and in religion both he and 
his wife are Second Adventists. 

April 21, 1875, Mr. Bennett was married to Miss 
Nancy Jane, daugliter of Silas Prothero. Her parents 
are both living, in this neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. 
B. have no children. 



V^ 



^-0-' 



^ E^ra^'' rancis Bone, farmer, section 20, Coldwater 

? EMlh Township, was born in 1845, in County 

(4^^ "" Antrim, Ireland. His parents, Patrick and 

%^ Mary (McCali) Bone, were natives of the "land 

-^f^^ of the harp and shamrock," and about 1850 

i emigrated to the New World. They settled 

near Geneva, Seneca Co., N. Y., where they resided 

about four years, then they removed to Wayne Co., 

Mich., where the father bought 30 acres of land. 

Their family included three children, all of whom are 

living. Their father died Aug. 7, 1862, in Browns- /k^ 

town, Wayne Co., Mich. The demise of the mother ii 

occurred Feb. 5, 1876. 

Mr. Bone was the first son of his parents, with 
whom he remained until the year in which the notes 
of civil war in America lung like the blast of a tem- 
pest round the whole world. He became a soldier, 
enlisting Oct. 29, 1862. He was enrolled in the 27th 
Mich. Vol. Inf., which was assigned to the Ninth 
Army Corps and attached to the armies of the East 
and of the West. He was in all the battles and 
skirmishes in which his regiment was engaged until 
he was wounded, at the battle of Spottsylvania, by a 
minie ball in the left shoulder. Thereuixin he was 
first sent to Fredericksburg, and then to the hospital c- 
at Washington, where he remained until sufficiently / 
recovered to return home. He was discharged Nov. 
9, 1864. 

He then came to Wayne Co., Mich., where he en- 
tered the employment of a farmer, but his strength 
was not sufficiently recuperated for labor, and he 
came to Isabella County about Nov. i, 1S65. He ^ 
was in the employ of E. Hall about three years, and [ 
toward the end of that lime he entered a homestead •/ • 
claim of 80 acres, which he proved in the course of f; ' 
five years and obtained his patent. He has improved ^' 
about 60 acres. Mr. Bone was formerly a member gN 
of the Catholic Church. He holds the position of ^ 



\ 



m 



A^^ 



^;n!|^ll||;>z,;g ^€§^ 






®7^X^''^ 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^'i-?t>J^ 






(bf 



>5 



i"^ 







Major, or Vice Commander, in J. Bowley Post, No. 
77, G. A. R., at Sherman. 

He was married March 20, 1876, to Minerva, 
daughter of Empson and Mary (Lalta) Powell. She 
was born Oct. 6, 1848, in Perry Co., Ohio. Her 
parents both died in Athens Co., Ohio. They had 
14 children, of whom Mrs. Bone is the youngest 
She is the mother of four children, born in the fol- 
lowing order: Patrick, Dec. 12, 1876; Empson, 
May 6, 1879; Mary Elizabeth, Oct. 6, 1881 ; John 
Francis, Jan. 7, 1884. 



janiei Burdick, farmer and stock-raiser, re- 

||, siding on section 16, Lincoln Township, 

k^P"^ was born in Williams Co., Ohio, July 25, 
1838. 

His parents were Lewis and Rachel (Cook) 
Burdick; the father a native of Massachusetts, 
the mother of New York, and both of New England 
ancestry. The father followed the occupation of 
farming and spent the major portion of his life in 
Ohio engaged in that vocation. He died in Living- 
ston Co., Mo., Aug. 15, 1873, aged 64 years. The 
mother departed this life in April, 1849, in Williams 
Co., Ohio, aged 36 years. 

Daniel Burdick was the sixth child of a family of 
ten children, nine of whom were girls. When he at- 
tained the age of 22 years he apprenticed himself to 
his brother-in-law to learn the shoemaker's trade. 
He continued at this trade until the breaking out of 
the late war. 

When the news flashed over tlie wire that Sumter 
had been bombarded with rebel shell, and the call 
went forth for the sons of liberty to rally round their 
imjjeriled flag, our subject was among the first to 
respond. He enlisted in Co. D, 38th Ohio Vol. Inf., 
Aug. 15, 1861, and his regiment was assigned to the 
3d Division, r4th Corps, of the Army of the Cumber- 
land, commanded by Gens. Sherman, Rosecrans and 
Thomas. He was in numerous engagements, promi- 
nent among them being Mill Spring, Shiloh and De- 
catur. At the latter battle he was taken prisoner, was 
paroled and finally, in 1863, was exchanged and re- 
turned to his regiment. He accompanied the 
regiment in its march to Atlanta and participated in 
all its engagements: was discharged Sept. 25, 1864. 




Mr. B. passed through the battles in which his 
regiment was engaged without receiving any serious 
woimds, but in one of the engagements a ball passed 
through his hat and cleanly shaved the hair from 
his head. 

After his discharge from the service Mr. B. fol- 
lowed his trade for a short period, and then came to 
this State. He arrived here in 1865 and purchased 
80 acres of land on section 16, Lincoln Township, 
where he is at preseiit residing. At the time he 
came to Lincoln Township, the hand of improve- 
ment was hardly visible, and he entered on the task 
of clearing and improving his land amid numerous 
ditficulties. He was compelled to cut a road one 
and a half miles through the dense woods to his 
land, but withstood all the trials and now has 160 
acres, of which 70 are in a good state of cultivation, 
a comfortable residence and two commodious stock 
and grain barns. 

Mr. Burdick was united in marriage, Nov. 28, 
1862, in Delaware Co., Ohio, with Miss Mary Hack- 
ett, a native of Jamestown, Ontario, where she was 
born Aug. 15, 1847. ^'""^ came to the "States" with 
her father in 1850, her mother having died, in Can- 
ada, in 1848. Her father located in Cleveland, Ohio, 
where he remained for about 12 years, following his 
trade of wagon-making. While in Cleveland, Mrs. 
Burdick attended the public schools, and from that 
place accompanied her father to Columbus, and 
thence to Delaware County, same State, where she 
remained until her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. B. are the parents of six children : 
Orion L., born Oct. 15, i86s ; Elmer E., born March 
26, 1867, died Jan. rg, t874; Ernest E., born Feb. 
22, 1869; Theron D., born May 28, 1872; R. Idella, 
born Sept. 28, 1873; Gracie ^L, born Oct. 26, 1875. 

Politically, Mr. B. is an adherent to and believer 
in the principles of the Rei)ublican ^a.xKy, and has 
held the minor offices of his township. 



^i dison S. Hipkins, druggist at Blanchard, is 
a son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Loup) 
Hipkins, natives of Pennsylvania. The 
^|S! father was born March 14, 181 r, was a drug- 
gist by occupation, and died in 1867, in Gilboa, 
j Ohio. The mother was born Oct. 25, 1825, 
and is yet living at Gilboa. 



*.^ 









^V5^«^^ 



j^ 



<• 



:>^ 



^^*^l?'Sc^^ 




gly®^^^ 



'^'■^(sQo^^r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



>>rr- :2J^5sr 



-^^i^ 



^ 



k 



A 



>^ 



V 

s 



e> 



V 



The subject of this sketch was born at Gilboa, Put- 
nam Co., Ohio, April 14, 185 i, and remained at home 
until 16 years of age, when he became a drug clerk. 
In 187 I he entered the pharmacy institution at 45, 
Bleeker Street, Utica, where he remained until 1874. 
Returning to Gilboa, he entered the drug establish- 
ment of McClure & iMathias. Mr. Mc Clure subse- 
quently bought his partner's interest, and after a time 
he sold to Harmans & Son. A short time after this 
last change, Mr. Hipkins went to Bairdstown, Wood 
County, and bought a stock of drugs of Cattor Bros. 
After two years there, he sold to one Getman, and 
came to Michigan. He clerked for George Finch for 
a while, and in 1881 came to Blanchard, where he 
has since conducted a profitable business. 

Nov. 7, 1877, he was joined in wedlock with Miss 
Anna Phillips, daughter of Miles and Sarah (Redson) 
Phillips. She was born Jan. 7, 1855, the second 
daughter in her father's family. One son has been 
born to Mr. and Mrs. H., named Edison Maxwell, 
Jan. 5, 1884. 

In political sentiment, Mr. Hipkins is a Democrat. 



--f^ 







acob P. Yuncker, farmer, section 27, Notta- 
wa Township, is a son of Hubert and Bar- 
bara Yuncker, natives of France. Mr. Y., 
Sr., emigrated to America in June, 1847, settling 
^l' in Erie Co., N. Y., with his parents; when lie 
was 18 years of age the family moved to Alden, 
same county. By occupation he, as well as his 
father, was a boot and siioe maker, for some years in 
the early part of his life. His father died in Erie Co., 
N. Y., and his mother in Clinton Co., Mich. 

Jacob P. was born Dec. 23, 1837. Jan. 9, 1866, 
he was married to Margaret Pohl, a daughter of 
Nicholas and Ann C. (Maurer) Pohl, both of German 
descent, the latter deceased and the former still living, 
in Clinton County. Mrs. Yuncker was born in West- 
phalia, that county, Nov. 21, 1843. Of the ten chil- 
dren born in this household, nine are living,--si.K sons 
and three daughters. Their names are Mary, Rosa, 
Henry, Joseph, Louisa, Louis, John, Arthur and Ed- 
ward. 

In political affairs Mr. Y. is independent; has 
been Supervisor in Clinton County four years. High- 




way Commissioner in Nottawa Township, this county, 
two years, and School Director, which last jiosition 
he now holds. Mr. and Mrs. Yuncker are members 
of the Catholic Church. 



-isACCr©^®^ 



%k4— >-@fSWiJ'»>« 




^ 



teamuel Craft, farmer, section 7, Deerfield 
Township, is a son of Ridgeway and Es- 
ther (Bailey) Craft, the former a native of 
Pennsylvania and the latter of Virginia, of 
German and English ancestry. They settled 
in Washington Co., Ohio, where they lived 
until they came to Michigan, in 1836, settling in 
Lenawee County ; there they lived one year,- and 
then they passed the remainder of their days in 
Branch County, he dying Jan. 1, 1863, and she, 
Aug. 13, 1878. Their family comprised seven chil- 
dren, five daughters and two sons. 

Samuel, the youngest of the family, was born in 
Washington Co., Ohio, Feb. 16, 1832; when nearly 
four years old the family moved to Michigan, settling 
in Branch County, where he grew up and was edu- 
cated. He had sole charge of his father, who was a 
cripple the last 17 years of his life. 

In 1865, Mr. Craft moved to Greenville, Mont- 
calm County, invested in town property and resided 
there about 14 years; he then sold out and came to 
Isabella County, and bought 120 acres of wild land, 
in Deerfield Township, where he now lives. At 
present he owns 320 acres in this county, about 25 
of which is under the plow. Mr. C. has taken great 
interest in the agricultural affairs of the county. He 
was the first Vice-President of the Agricultural So- 
ciety for Deerfield Township for three years; he 
drafted the constitution and by-laws of the society, 
has served on ^\\ the important committees, is now 
Chairman of the Executive Committee, and for each 
year has been General Superintendent. In April, 
1S79, he was elected Supervisor of Deerfield Town- 
ship, since which lime he has served continuously in 
that office. He has also held the office of Justice of 
the Peace four years. School Inspector four years and 
has been Sanitary Adviser since 1879. In politics he 
is in sympathy with the Democratic party, but 
reserves the right to "scratch the ticket." 

May I, 1859, in Branch Co., Mich., Mr. Craft was 






c^: 



0) 



f^ASi^^^ ^^€^ ^^^iimsilll'JA^ 



m 



-:2<Sj:<a J^74;DllgliD;> 



^ 



(Oj 






>:> 



> 



^ 



432 



' V ^ 
ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^^C^^ 



^4^t^5f5;vi 



married to Jeannette, daughter of Charles W. and 
Jemima (Westfall) Lawrence, natives of New York 
State who moved to Branch County, this State, about 
1850, wht?re they lived until death; she died July 14, 
1850, and he, April 2, 1861. Mrs. C. was born in 
Rochester, N. Y., June 9, 1841. The children born 
of this marriage are: Burt W., Florence J. and R S. 
We are happy to place Mr. Craft's iwrtrait in this 
Album, as that of a representative citizen of Isabella 
County. It will be found on page 430. 




fohn C. Eockafellow, Postmaster of Clare, 
fe- and Supervisor of Grant Township, Clare 
County, was born in Alexander Township 
Hunterdon Co., N. J., March 11, 1826. His 
^ father, a native of New Jersey and of German 
descent, was at first by occupation a black- 
smith. He moved from New Jersey to New York, 
where he lived ten years, and came to Genesee 
County, this State, in 1836. He was one of four that 
were the first settlers in what is now Atlas village, 
that county. He has been during much of his life a 
farmer, but is now retired from active life, being of 
the advanced age of 81. He resides still in Genesee 
County. Mrs. Rockafellow (Catherine Thatcher) 
was a native of New Jersey, of Scotch extraction, and 
died in tliis State in March, 1880, at the age of 73. 
The subject of this biographical sketch was the 
second son and child of a family of 12, of whom i r 
grew to be adults. Seven still survive. He was but 
a few months old when his parents removed to New 
York, settling in Richmond, Ontario County. Two 
years later the family removed to Brocksgrove, Liv- 
ingston County, where they lived eight years. Here 
John spent some time at school. When he was ten 
years old, his parents joined the army of emigrants 
bound for the rich and unoccupied West, and settled 
in Genesee County, this State, amidst the forest, the 
herds of deer and packs of wolves. Being in a per- 
fectly new country, John was thrown on his own re- 
sources for gaining an education, but he did the best 
he could under the circumstances. His parents were 
Presbyterians, and were very careful with his moral 
training. Much of the time before he was 21, he 
worked in his father's blacksmith shop. During 
those pioneer days, the family often were pinched for 



the necessaries of life. They were obliged to go 50 
miles, to Detroit, for provisions. 

Attaining his majority, he chose farming as his pro- 
fession, and commenced as a common laborer for the 
neighboring farmers. In 1854 he formed a partner- 
ship with his brother. In i860 he settled on a farm 
he had purchased, and there lived until 1866, when 
he moved to Atlas, same county. The following year 
he established a store for the sale of general mer- 
chandise, which he kept until the spring of 1873. At 
that date he came to Clare, Clare County, and en- 
gaged in similar business. At that time the streets 
of what is now a flourishing village were filled with 
stumps, and the surrounding country was a dense 
forest. He continued in mercantile life until Nov. 
4, 1883, when he suffered an almost total loss ($8,000) 
by fire. He carried but a light amount of insurance. 

He was married Feb. 14, i860, in Atlas Township, 
Genesee County, to Miss Julia M. Wilder, daughter 
of E. S. and Silva (Gilkie) Wilder, natives of Ver- 
mont and New York. Both parents died in this 
State a few years ago, having followed farming up to 
their death. Mrs. Rockafellow was born in Gaines 
Township, Orleans Co., N. Y., Nov. 5, 1840, came to 
Michigan in 1856, and lived in Genesee County until 
her marriage. Of this union six children have been 
born, four of whom are not living. The surviving 
are: Arthur H., born Dec. 17, 1864; and Carrie L., 
born June 27, 187 1. The deceased are: John E., 
born Dec. 5, i860, anddied Dec. 3, 1863; Baby, 
born in 1862, and died in infancy; Carrie B., born 
Dec. 24, 1869, and died Jan. 6, 1870; and Daisy, 
born June 7, 1881, and died Aug. 16, 1SS2. Mrs. 
Rockafellow is a prominent member of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, of which she was one of the prin- 
cipal organizers in the village of Clare. 

Mr. R. is a charter member of Farwell Lodge, No. 
335, F. & A. M., also of Clare Lodge, No. 333, I. O. 
O. F., and is a charter member of the Encampment 
in the I. O. O. F. He holds the office of Treasurer in 
the former body. As a business man, a citizen and 
an official, Mr. R. has made a creditable record. He 
has been Postmaster of Clare ever since 1874. He 
has filled almost every township ofifice and is now 
Supervisor of Grant. He has been County Treasurer 
for six years, receiving on his first election all but 
four votes in the county. He has been a member of 
the Village Council for two years, and is now Treas- 



^ 



^5 



c-<>: 



V 



r 



^e^ci^. 



J^ 



<>nti:^iiD;->A 



,^^^j<^\d_ 



^?^' 





i>>e>^fi* 



TZjW^'Sr 



T 



<:|]D>:iinr.> 



v 



T^JNii-'-ix" 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(h 



'O 



urer of Clare Village. He was for two terms Assist- 
ant Sergeant-at-Arms of the State Senate, and for one 
term Sergeant-at-Arms. Politically, he is a staunch 
I and influential Reiiublican, as are all of his father's 
" family. In 1 868, his father and five sons went to the 
polls together and cast their votes for U. S. Grant. 

Mr. R.'s wide ex[jerience and varied talents fit him 
for almost any position, and render him in every 
sense a representative citizen. It is such men as he 
that are so rapidly developing the wilds of Northern 
Michigan, planting civilization and wealth where for 
untold ages have been barbarism and waste. 



--^mmm^B^ 



lyT^lifli^ illiam Lansing, farmer, section 8, Wise 



^^ r Township, was born Feb. i8. 1832, in 
^" Lennox Co., Ont., and is the son of William 
and Catherine (Sprung) Lansing. The father 
was born in Montgomery Co., N. Y-.,and Hie 
mother was a native of Prince Edward Co., 
Can. The former died in February, 1867, in Cana- 
da. The latter has reached the age of 84 years and 
is totally blind. 

Mr. Lansing came to Isabella County in 1877, 
having spent the years of his previous life in Canada, 
with the exception of one year which he spent in 
Missouri, and six months in the State of New York. 
In boyhood he attended the common schools, and on 
entering active life he became a farmer. In the fall 
of 1877, he bought 80 acres of land in its natural 
condition in Wise Township. He has since added 
80 acres by purchase to his estate, and has 60 acres 
cleared and in tillage. Mr. Lansing is a member of 
the Republican party in political affiliation, and has 
been quite prominent in public life. He has held 
the office of Highway Commissioner one year, and 
in the spring of 1882 was elected Justice of the Peace, 
of which office he is the present incumbent. 

He was married Oct. 8, 1855, in Hastings ('o., 
Canada, to Minerva J., daughter of John and Marga- 
ret (Spears) Hart. The parents were natives respect- 
ively of Vermont and Canada. The mother died in 
the Dominion, May 21, 1861, and the father May 19, 
1863. Mrs. Lansing was born in Hastings Co., Can., 




Dec. 25, 1840. Seven children have been born of 
her marriage: Margaret, Catherine, John W., Hen- 
ry S., Wiliiam J., Annie L. and Minnie M. W. The 
parents are memi)ers of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church. 



-13= 



!]§f annibal Gaskill, farmer on section 30, Coe 
Township, is a son of William and Lydia 
(Brown) Gaskill, natives of New England; 
and was born in Lockiwrt, N. ¥., July 31, 1824. 
He remained at home until 19 years of age, at- 
tending school and assisting his father on the 
farm. He attended one term at the Wilson Colle- 
giate Institute, at Wilson, Niagara Co., N. Y. Since 
then, he has taught 28 nearly consecutive winters, 
working out by the day during the summer season. 
He has devoted all his leisure moments to study, 
especially history, both sacred and profane. He is 
a close Biblical student, but is liberal in his reason- 
ing and interpretations. He spent one winter in 
Mmnesota, teaching and farming. He first can.e to 
Michigan in the spring of 1845, but remained only a 
few months in Clinton County. In September, 1854, 
he settled in that county, buying a farm of 40 acres. 
In 1878, he traded this for 80 acres in Isabella 
County, where he has since resided. He has 18 
acres under cultivation. 

He was first n^arried in Niagara Co., N. Y., March 
25, 1858, to Rachel A. Clark, a native of that county. 
One daughter, Mary F., was born to them. Mrs. G. 
died July 19, i860, and he was again married, in 
1865, to Anna Jeffrey, a native of Michigan. Mr. 
G. is ixslitically a Democrat. In religious belief he 
is a Universalist. 



■•<^-'##-H^" 



••MAAji- 



K aeob L. Fordyoe, farmer, section 34, Gil- 

WAh^ more Township, was born Ai)ril 2, (828, in 

Greene Co., Pa. His parents, Arciiibald 

G. and Nancy (Leonard) Fordyce, were both 

natives of Pennsylvania, where the father is 

still living. The mother died in 1847. 

Mr. Fordyce studied medicine in his earlier years, 

and at 25 years of age went to West Virginia and 

commenced its practice, to which he devoted 12 




V^ 



A 



c^: 



*0' 



-c^.^ 



<>I 



»A^. 



-^Hf^^;/!^^ 



is^ii' 



•^434 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-4^^((s^^S 



<b 



) 
I' 



V 



years at Little's Mills, Tyler County. March 28, 
1865, he came to Isabella County and located on 120 
acres of laiid in Coe Township. In 187 i he disposed 
of the place by sale and purchased 160 acres in Gil- 
more Township, with a small tract of 1 2 acres cleared. 
He has since sold 80 acres, and retains but one-half 
his original acreage. On this he has good and suit- 
able farm buildings. He served as Supervisor of 
Coe Township two terms, and has filled the same 
position four terms in Gilmore. He is a Republican 
in political affiliation. 

He was married Jan. 6, 1853, in Greene Co., Pa., 
to Sarah, daughter of Henry and Rachel (Wood) 
Jacobs. She was born March 31, 1834. Following 
is the record of the nine children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. Fordyce, four of whom are deceased: Lakins 
was born Jan. 5, 1854; Clarinda, .\pril 29, 1859; 
Eli, Aug. 25, 1861 ; Silas, Dec. 17, 1865; Horace, 
Feb. 2, 187 I ; William was born Nov. 8, 1855 (died 
Sept. 21, 1863, of diphtheria): Jarret, born Oct. 4, 
1857 (drowned July 17, 1861); an unnamed child 
died of measles March 2, 1863, who was born Feb. 
24, of the same year; John Linza, born Feb. i, 186S 
(died Feb. r, 1884, of malignant erysipelas). 

The parents are zealous members of the Disci- 
ples' Church. 

^-^^ 

esley J. Winter, farmer, section 36, Deer- 
field Township, was l)orn Dec. 30, 1840, 

, ,,„ ,r in Norfolk, Canada Wesl. His father, 
jkS5} VVilliam Winter, was also a native of the 

iaP' "Dominion," aiid died in 1882. Of the 13 

t I children in his family, eight are now living. 

^ When 23 years of age, Wesley came to this 
county, and for the first few years worked in lumber 
camps. In 1873 he purchased 40 acres of land, to 
which he has since added by purchase 40 acres more. 
Here he has improved 45 acres, and has the am- 
bition to continue until he has completed a good 
home. 

June 16, 1867, in Union Township, this county, 
Mr. Winter was married to Mrs. Helen J., daughter 
of John M. Hursh, the first settler in that township, 
who died Nov. 27, 1877 ; her mother is still living, 
in Mt. Pleasant. Mr. W. is a native of New Jersey. 
In this family have been born eight children, seven 







of whom are now living, namely: John Wesley, 
born Sept. 6, 1868; Richard Asa, Dec. 5, 1870; 
Sterling Asa, July 23, 1873; Hugh Oliver, Nov. 28, 
1875 ; Helen Elizabeth, March 4, 1877 ; Paul Emer- 
son, Oct. 3, 1880 ; Esther Mabel, May 20, 1883 ; and 
Charles Ernest, born Dec. 22, 1878, died April 14, 
1880. 

Mr. Winter has been Commissioner of Highways 
two terms (first in the township), Moderator three 
and School Assessor five years, 

'/:|t^§M( ndrew Jackson, farmer on section 21, Coe 
-^^iM-Sti Township, is a son of Toseph B. and Han- 
'^'tsT ^'^^^ (Hagerman) Jackson, natives of the 
.?i!te State of New York. The parents lived in the 

'[^ Empire State until the mother's death, in 1833. 

1 He afterwards came to Livingston Co., Mich., 
where he died about 1863. 

The subject of this biography was born in Seneca 
Co., N. Y., March 4, 1823, and at the age of 10 mov- 
ed with his parents to Genesee County, same State. 
Four years later he came with his father to the Pen- 
insular State. In 1857 he came to East Saginaw, 
where he followed teaming 13 years. Next, he lived 
four years in Pontiac, and in December, 1874, he 
came lo Isabella County and bought 40 acres in Coe 
Township, where he now resides, with about 29 acres 
cultivated. 

He was first married in Livingston Co., Mich., 
Sept. 3, 1846, to Rosanna McLaughlin, who was born 
in the State of New York, Aug. 12, 1825. To this 
marriage have been born seven children, four of 
whom survive : Mary, Jennie, Theodore and Fan- 
nie. The deceased are Dillis D. (drowned in Sagi- 
naw River Jan. 28, 1870), Charles and Ellen. Mrs. J. 
dying May 22, 1869, Mr. J. was again married, in 
Saginaw, Mich., Jan. 6, 1870, to Esther E., daughter 
of Samuel and Angeline (Newcomb) IJishop, and 
widow of A. G. Lipscomb, who died in 1870. She 
was born in New Brunswick, March 4, 1824, and has 
six children by her first marriage : Sarah A., Rinaldo 
D., Amanda E., Ryerson ('.,Theresa V. and Araman- 
tha M. 

Mr. and Mrs. J. are members of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. Jackson votes 
the Democratic ticket. 



V 



y- 



r 



-^m'^mo^. 



-Sy?*^ 



*i^^5f(®y^^^ 




^■f}9 *h •»<#. 




.^^//^^•^<-W (^^J^^cy^^^^-^^^ 



^i^ 



o/f'^^'^ 




^^^ 



"^f^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



•^^t^^jf 



> 
1 



eorge House, fanner, section 4, Isabella 
Township, is a native of England, where, 
^ in Somersetshire, he was born Dec. 11, 1828. 
The parents of our subject were William and 
Sarah (Stower) House, natives of England and 
of pure English extraction. His father fol- 
lowed the occupation of a baker in that country and 
there died. His mother also died in her native 
country, in January, 1864. 

George was only ten years of age when his father 
died, and remained under the care of his mother until 
he attained the age of 16 years. At this age he en- 
tered the mercantile business, which ho, continued, 
with a moderate degree of success, until he attained 
the age of 24 years, living by himself and keeping 
" bach." 

May 6, 1852, in his native county, Mr. House was 
united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Chancellor, a 
daughter of William and Maiy (Stower) Chancellor, 
natives of England, of pure English ancestry, and 
both died in their native country. Elizabeth was 
born in Walton, Somersetshire, Eng., Jan. 29, 1836, 
and lived at home in her native town until her mar- 
riage, as stated. She received the advantages afforded 
by the common schools of her native country, and ac- 
quired a good English education. 

After his marriage, Mr. House followed the occu- 
pation of fiirming in Somersetshire, Eng., and con- 
tinued that vocation with a fair degree of success 
until 1869. In the spring of that year he came to 
the New World and located in Wellington Co., Can. 
He remained there for a period of one year, when he 
removed to York Co., Ont., and there followed the 
vocation of farming for five years. 

Mr. House, at the expiration of the time stated, 
came to Monroe County, this State, and purchased 
265 acres of land in that county, and entered on the 
laborious though pleasant task of improving it. He 
farmed this land until the year 1879, and then sold 
it and came to this county and purchased 160 acres 
on section 4, Isabella Township. He brought his 
family, consisting of himself and wife and ten chil- 
dren, and settled on his newly purchased land and 
began the improvement of a home in the then wilder- 
ness. There were only three acres of this land from 




which the trees had been chopped, and yet with such 
a combined determination did they one and all enter 
on the task of clearing and improving the homestead 
that to-day 90 of the 160 acres are in a good state 01 
cultivation. 

Mr. and Mrs. House are the parents of ten chil- 
dren, born and named as follows : Alexander J. G., 
born in England, May 15, 1859; Sarah A. S., born in 
England, Dec. 28, i860; James George, born in 
England, Aug. 12, 1862: Henry George, born in 
England, June 8, 1864; Ferdinand George, born in 
England, May 6, 1866; Mary C, born in England, 
Feb. 29, 1868; Eustace George, born in Canada, 
June 9, 1869; Elizabeth M., born in Canada, Feb. 7, 
1872; Emily A., born in Canada; and George, born 
in Monroe Co., Mich., July 6, 1876. The father and 
mother are both members of the Close-Communion 
Baptist Church, and eight of their children are of the 
same belief. Mr. H. has occupied the position of 
Deacon in the Church for considerable time. 

Mr. House politically is a supporter of and believer 
in the principles of the Republican party, and has 
held minor offices in his township. He is one of the 
representative and progressive men of his township 
and has met with signal success in his vocation. 
His family are all industrious, energetic and hard- 
working, and true representatives of the progressive 
element of the county. 



-43= 



=es- 




T^r 



jark P. Tasquelle, M. D., physician and 
surgeon at Mt. Pleasant, was born Oct. 
f^^^'"*^ 18, 1840, in Detroit. He is a son of the 
^"\ well-known Louis J. Fasquelle, late Pro- 
''^ fessor of Modern Languages in the University 
of Michigan. Professor Fasquelle was born in 
(iuinnes, France, in i8o8. He was thoroughly edu- 
cated and studied medicine, but never became a 
practitioner. He went to England, where he was 
engaged in teaching, and in 1833 he came to 
America. He settled in Detroit for a short time, 
going thence to the vicinity of Pinckney, Livingston 
Co., Mich., where he purchased a large tract of land, 
comprising nearly 1,000 acres. He remained there 
until 1846, when he accepted the Chair of Modern 
Languages in the University at Ann Arbor, which 
he continued to hold until his death, which occurred 






X 



Jo' 






c 






lr>^^T^ 



^a^m'^ 



jrf-'' 



438 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-#^C(^-(# 






m 






a> 



I 



'pi 



Oct. I, 1862. Professor Fasquelle was married in 
England to Grace Whiddon, a native of Barnstable, 
where she was born in 1810. She died at Ann 
Arbor, in March, 1876. 

The family of Professor Fasquelle included four 
children : Louis W., a physician at St. John's, Clin- 
ton Co., Mich.; Caroline M., the wife of Alfred 
Hennequin, Assistant Professor of French at the 
University of Michigan ; and Frances E., a resident 
of Ann Arbor. 

Professor Fasquelle attained permanent distinction 
through his series of French text books which have 
been standard works for more than 30 years, and 
their excellence is fully attested by the fact that they 
are still in use in many leading educational institu- 
tions, notwithstanding modern innovations. He was 
technically conversant with 72 languages and dia- 
lects. " Fasquelle's French Course " was published 
in 1850, followed successively by "Telemaque," 
"Napoleon,'" " Racine," " Colloquial French Reader," 
"Juvenile Grammar" and the "The Key to the 
French (bourse." His works were published by 
Newman & Ivison, and afterwards by the successors 
to that house. Professor Fasquelle was buried in 
Forest Hill Cemetery at Ann Arbor. No finer 
tribute to the merits of his methods of instruction 
could be offered than that afforded by the adoption of 
the " French Course" in the training of the primary 
classes in the Chautauijua School of Languages, a 
movement which establishes their value beyond 
cavil. 

Dr. Fasquelle, the subject of this biography, vvas 
educated at Ann Arbor, matriculating at the Uni- 
versity in 1856, and completed his studies in the 
classical course in i860. In 1862 the second 
degree — Master of Arts — was conferred upon him. 
During the year 1861-2 he studied in the Medical 
Department of the same institution. Meanwhile he 
purchased 160 acres of land in Lodi, in Washte- 
naw County, where he resided until the spring of 
1866. He sold his farm and came to St. John's, 
Clinton County, and established a shoe store under 
the firm style of Fasquelle & Wells. The partner- 
ship soon terminated, and Mr. Fasquelle operated 
singly until the summer of 1869, when he returned 
to Ann Arbor. In the fall of 1870 he resumed study 
in the Medical Department of the University, where 
he was graduated in the spring of 1872. He opened 
an office in the city of Ann Arbor, where he practiced 



his profession a few months. On the first of Jan- 
uary, 1873, he came to Mt. Pleasant and established 
himself in practice in company with Dr. Miller. 
Four months later he opened an office independ- 
ently and has continued to conduct the business of 
his profession with steady and growing success, his 
field of operation including a large portion of Isabella 
and adjoining counties. Dr. Fasquelle is a member 
of the State Medical Society of Michigan and belongs 
to the National Health Association. 

He was married March 21, 1863, in Ann Arbor, to 
Julia F., daughter of Seth and Amelia Smith. She 
was born Feb. 8, i84r, in Connecticut. Grace A., 
only child, was born May 17, 1869, at St. John's, 
Clinton County. 

In presenting the portrait of Dr. Fasquelle, the 
publishers of this work take more than ordinary 
satisfaction. He is a worthy son of an honorable 
sire, — one whose best work is a part of the peerless 
educational history of Michigan. The private and 
professional record of him who represents a name 
which the world of learning delights to honor, is such 
as to reflect luster on these pages. 



5^«^#' 



-5*^^^ 



-K^^I 



^(|KS3yreiius Kinter, retired farmer, living on 
g,hjBs=g^ section II, Lincoln Township^ and one of 
%|ii^ the representative self-made men of the coun- 
fjif ty, was born in Genesee Co., N. Y., March 16 
f 1812. 

The parents of Cyrenus, Barney and Orril (Thomp- 
son) Kinter, were of German and Connecticut parent- 
age. The father was killed in the battle at Black 
Rock in the war of 181 2, and the mother died the 
year previous. 

At the time of the death of his father, Cyrenus 
was but two or three years old, and was the eldest of 
two children, brothers. Thus, at an early age he 
was bereft of father and mother, and thrown on the 
charity of foster parents. His foster father was a 
Mr. Peter Powers, and our subject remained in his 
family until he attained the age of 25 years. Mr. 
Powers died when our subject was 1 6 years of age, 
and Mr. K., being obliged to work toward the supixjrt 
of the family, was debarred from seizing the opiX)rtu- 
nities afforded by the common schools, and only ob- 






c< 



Si, 







^ 



l^gss- 



"Tsf^^^^^isr 



-r<;iliil^:ijils>>v 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(h 






>; 



V 

(!) 



tained such education as his leisure moments enabled 
him. 

When Mr. Kinter left the Powers home he came 
direct to this State and settled on a piece of land in 
Eaton County, which he had purchased in 1S36. He 
lived on this land about 20 years and improved 60 
acres of the 130-acre tract. "Hope" brought him to 
the State, " Faith " kept him here, and earnest Effort, 
" tlie mother of success ," crowned his labors ; but his 
" roses ," planted in the establishing of his home in 
tills then wilderness, grew not without thorns. He 
experienced all the trials and difficulties of the early 
pioneer and yet, being endowed with that energy and 
perseverance which are so essential to success, he 
concpiered them all, and looking from the present to 
the past he contemplates the pleasure and happiness 
which honest effort has accomplished. 

In 1859 Mr. Kinter came to this county, and made 
an exchange of his property in Eaton County, for 320 
acres on section 8, Coe Township. This trade was 
made with Mr. Eben Stewart, and before the organ- 
ization of the county, and while it was in its wild 
state. At this lime Coe Township embraced the en- 
tire county. This was just prior to his establishing 
the Indian Mills neai the present city of Mt. Pleas- 
ant, ard he usually went to St. John's and other dis- 
tant towns for his supplies. 

Mr. K. entered upon the improvement of this land, 
and, although "clouds of difficulty obscured his star of 
prosperity," he relied on his faith and brought all his 
energy to bear upon his enterprises, and nobly fought 
;he vicissitudes which accompanied him and sits to- 
day in the sunshine of happiness and plenty. 

Mr. K. gave one of his sons 80 acres of land and 
aniitlier 120 acres, equalizing the difference with a 
moneyed consideration. 

In 1882 Mr. Kinter sold the remaining 120 acres 
in Coe Township to liis youngest son, and purchased 
40 acres on section 11, Lincoln Township, on which 
he and the sharer of his toils and trials in the past 
have settled for a life-time in the enjoyment of the 
comforts surrounding them. 

Mr. Kinter was united in marriage, April 11, 1839, 
with Miss Jane Lee. She was born near Chenoa, 
McLean Co., 111., Dec. i, 1819. Her parents were 
Henry and Betsy (Meech) Lee, natives of New York 
and of Iris!) descent. The father was a farmer by 
occupation and moved into Illinois [trior to its being 



"'1 




"^ 



admitted as a State, and settled near Chenoa, in 
McLean County. Here Mrs. K. was reared and 
educated. Her " palace " school-room had " mother 
earth " for a floor, and the open door for a window. 
The scholars studied their lessons on the " loud " plan, 
and the louder they studied the more they were sup- 
posed to learn. When she was 18 years of age, her 
parents came to this State and settled in Ingham 
County, and they were the third family to settle in 
the county. Mrs. Kinter'slife has been spent in true 
pioneer style. She was born in the pioneer days of 
McLean Co., 111., and spent her girlhood among the 
first settlers of that county. Coming to Ingham Co., 
this State, she spent her womanhood among its ear- 
ly pioneers ; and even now, while enjoying the com- 
forts of plenty, shelooks back u]jon the past with many 
pleasant recollections. 

Mr. and Mrs. K. are the father and mother of three 
children: William H., born Nov. 21, 1842, married 
Emily White, and is the present proprietor of the hotel 
at Salt River; James M., born Aug. i, 1844, married 
Miss Clara McFarren, and now resides in Coe Town- 
ship, this county; Mary J., born Nov. 9, 1841, died 
Feb. I r, 1865. 

Mrs. K. is identified witli the Regular Baptist 
Church. 

Mr. K. is a Republican in politics, and has been 
honored with the office of Highway Commissioner, 
Justice of the Peace, and other minor offices of his 
Townsliip. 



ohn Yarnell, farmer on section 22, Coe 
Township, is a son of Jesse and Elizabeth 
^■^'^ (Schneider) Yarnell, natives of Pennsyl- 
vania, and was born in the Keystone State, 
April 22, 1832. He received an elementary 
education in private schools, and at the age of 
17 engaged to learn the carpenter and joiner's trade, 
at which he has since worked, in connection with 
farming. He has built 58 barns and 20 houses. /f^ 

He remained in Pennsylvania until the spring of [ 
1876, when he came to Isabella County, and bought J'., 
40 acres in Coe Townshij). He has of this 30 acres m 
improved. >& 

He was niaiiied m Crawford Co., Pa., March 2, (^ 
1853. to Sarah, daugliter of George and Margaret ^ 

m 









PI 



-c^nii:^! 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(9, 



^^ (Helmholtz) HoUabaugh, natives of Pennsylvania. 
/W Mrs. Y. was born in the Keystone State, in February, 
^ 1834. She and her husband have had nine children, 
% seven of whom survive: Mary A., William H., Mar- 
^ garet J., George W., Ellen, Emma E. and Ida R. 
The two otliers died in infancy. 

Mr. Y. is politically a National. He and wife are 
members of the United Brethren Church. 



^iip/pf^il ichael Dalton, farmer on section 13, Ver- 
• T '■ '^ J non Township, was born in Ireland, in 







>5 



^% 



^ 



I 






'^ August, 1845, and lost his father when 
^ '^ three years old. Five years later he came 
to America with his mother. For ten years he 
lived in Ontario, and then, having become an 
orphan, he went to Pennsylvania. He worked in the 
mines and woods in McKean and Elk Counties one 
year, and was then employed for five years in the 
woods of Minnesota. Next, he followed farming for six 
years in the Red River Valley. In December, 1878, 
he came to Michigan and bought 160 acres on sec- 
tion 13, Vernon, partly improved. 

He was married Jan 7, 1874, to Miss Catherine 
i'urkill, who was born in Ontario, in March, 1856. 
She is the mother of five children, as follows : John 
H., born April 22, 1875 ; James E., Jan. 29, r877 5 
Frank D., June 4, 1879; Edwin M., Nov. 22, 1883; 
and one which died in infancy. 

Mr. Dalton is a Republican, and is present School 
Treasurer. He and wife are Catholics. 



g'VVx^ ^ * 




illiam H. Wonch, farmer on section 9, Coe 
Townshii), is a son of Francis and Catha- 
rine (Campbell) Wonch. The father was 
born in St. Catharine's, Canada, and the mo- 
ther was also a native of Canada. They re- 
sided in that Dominion until her death, which 
occurred Aug. 2, i860. The father then came to 
Sanilac County, this State, and thence to Isabella 
County, where lie lived lo years. He then went to 
Saginaw, where he died, in 1882. Their family com- 
prised four sons and five daughters, William H. be- 
ing the eldest one of the nine. 

He was born at St. Charles, Can., July 30, 1833, 



and resided in Canada until 21, attending the district 
school and working on the farm. In the fall of 1854 
he came to this county and took up 200 acres of 
Government land on sections 21 and 22, Coe Town- 
ship. This land he did not occujjy, however, and 
eight years later he sold it. He returned to Canada 
soon after his first visit to Isabella County, but not 
permanently. He soon came once more to this 
county, and bought 80 acres on section 13, to wliich 
he has since added 80 acres on section 9. He has 
in all 80 acres improved. 

He was married in Canada, July 2, [860, to 
Melinda, daughter of Robert and Christine (Wago- 
ner) Nutt, natives of America and Germany respect- 
ively. Mr. and Mrs. Nutt lived several years after 
their marriage in the State of New York, and then 
removed to East Missouri, Oxford Co., where they 
lived until their death. He died July 13, 1865, and 
she Nov. 22, 1873. Mrs. Wonch was born in Can- 
ada, Aug. 23, 1837. Eight children born to Mr. and 
Mrs. W. survive: Robert H., William A., Anna M., 
Francis B , Alice M., Luman L., George W. and 
Howard E. 

The parents are members of the Methodist E])is- 
copal ("hurch. Mr. W. is iioliticallv a Republican. 



-veaaa^B^^" 



K^»^/S^^S1'^OT'V► 



v|) 



A 



.,■<>! 



4 



K^>)«^#^ 



-y^,^^ 



qP'..'r'f.'rJ^ If 

l^.on. John W. Hance, Senator from the 24th 
District of Michigan, was born Aug. 2, 1848, 
at Marengo, Morrow Co., Ohio. His paternal 
ancestors were German (Quakers, who settled at 
an early period of the history of America in New 
Jersey. His fatiier, Adam Hance, was born in 
Knox Co., Oliio, in February, :8 — , there attained to 
man's estate and married Mary A. Morrison. She is 
a native of the Buckeye State and descended from 
Welsh ancestors. Five sons and a dauglitcr (now de- 
ceased) constituted the issue of this union. In 1863 
the family removed to Michigan and settled in Isa- 
bella County, where they became identified with the 
agricultural element. The sons are all practical 
farmers and landholders in this county. 

Mr. Hance is the third son of his parents. He 
had fair educational advantages in his native State 
and develo[)ed rapidly, in early youth, in mental 

• nn; ^-ip^ — ^s^^^^ 



e 



c 





Tllt^i^ 



^ 






>5 



V 




rzfi. 



xW^T 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



growth. He grew up under the influences of the 
period of " storm and stress " which preceded the 
civil war. Morrow County lay in the direct route of 
the refugees from Southern bondage, and the father 
and grandfather of Mr. Hance were agents of one of 
the stations of the "Underground Railroad.' That 
scene in " Uncle Tom's Ca'uin " which portrays with 
inimitable power the depth of feeling and hatred of 
oppression in the breasts of those who lent every as- 
sistance to the fleeing victims of the slave element, 
was a daily repetition under his observation, and im- 
bued him witli the earnestness of purpose and de- 
cision of character which are his predominating 
traits. He passed the years of his minority in the 
discharge of the duties pertaining to his nonage, and 
at the expiration of that period engaged in teaching, 
which vocation he followed six years. The char- 
acter of the work he performed in the sparsely peo- 
pled districts where he labored, made his value 
known to the leading men of Isabella County, and to 
his faithful and laborious as well as able efforts, he 
owes the position to which he attained in the early 
years of his manhood. In January, 1875, he entered 
upon the duties of Deputy County Clerk and Register 
of Deeds, to which position he had been appointed 
by Joel C. Graves, who had been elected to that 
two-fold office in the fall of 1874. The circum- 
stances of the appointment of Mr. Hance [lossess a 
curious interest. He made a visit to Mt. Pleasant 
previous to the commencement of another term of 
school, for which he had engaged. Chance threw 
him in the way of Mr. Graves, to whom he was in- 
troduced by a mutual friend. Mr. Graves remarked : 
" I am glad to see you, and I am reminded that I 
had a singular dream last night, in which I was ofli- 
ciating in the duties of the office to which I have 
been elected, with you as my deputy ; and I propose 
to make it reality, by tendering you the appoint- 
ment." Mr. Hance accepted the offer and hastened 
to release himself from his engagement. In 1876 he 
was elected to succeed Mr. Graves, who removed to 
Urownsville, Col., and in 1878 was again elected. 

In the fall of 1882 he was placed in nomina'.ion 
on the Republican ticket for Senator from this Dis- 
trict, which includes Isabella, Gratiot, Midland and 
Clare ('ounties. He made a most gratifying run, re- 
ceiving a majority of 700 votes over the Fusion can- 
didate. He did effective service in behalf of local 




and 'general interests, and was Chaiiman of Com- 
mittee on State Public School. He was also mem- 
ber of Committees on Canals and River and Harbor 
Improvements, on Banks and Incorporations, and on 
Federal Relations. Among the important bills intro- 
duced by Mr. Hance was that which constituted the 
office of State Agent for the Public School at Cold- 
water, a measure whose practical benefit has already 
proven the wisdom of its instigators. 

On his removal to Mt. Pleasant Mr. Hance in- 
terested himself in transactions in real-estate and in 
lumber traffic, continuing the management of his farm 
of 160 acres of land, adjoining the village. He has 
continued liis operations in those avenues until he 
has largely extended his connections and scope, and 
is one of the substantial and prominent business 
men of the county. Associated with Mr. Devereaux, 
in 1883 he built one of the largest and finest brick 
blocks in Mt. Pleasant. It is 45 x go feet in size, two 
stories above the basement, and is utilized as stores 
and offices. He is one of the stockholders in the 
banking; house of Brown, Harris & Co., at Mt. Pleasant. 



-^' 



"ohn B. Walton (deceased), late farmer on 
section 4, Coe Township, was born in Ma- 
comb Co., Mich., Nov. 30, 1833. Losing 
his mother when ipiite young, he remained 
^L with his father six years longer, and then for 
\ ten years he worked at farming by the month. 
In the fall of 1855 he came to Isabella County and 
took up r6o acres under the Graduation Act. He 
built a log shanty and began clearing his land. 
" keeping bach " for three years. 

He was married Jan. ro, 1858, to Miss Artemisia, 
daughter of Frederick and Anna (Watkins) Blount, 
natives of the State of New York. Mrs. VValtoir was 
born in Troy, Oakland Co., Mich., Dec. 3r, 1834, 
and is the mother of six children, as follows : Mina, 
born Sept. r6, i860 (wife of Miles Abbott, and mother 
of one child, Hazel, born Jan. 23, 1884); Fred, April 
8, r862 (married to Lillian Vining, and father of one 
daughter, Mina, born June 12, 1882); Perry, July 
26, 1866; Charles, Dec. 15, r868; Frank, June 2, 
1874: Willard, July 15, 1878. 

Mr. W. disposed of 80 acres of his farm, and at 




C 






c^: 






^^\m^^ 



^^^^^^ — '^^^^^nn^nti^D-^ — ^s^^^^p^ 



^ 




T2i^^^^^ 



■r=r'7<^M'^\ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






V 



t 



? 




the time of his death, June 15, 1879, the entire 80 
acres remaining had been reduced to a system of 

'.^ scientific tillage. He was a man who stood excep- 
I tionally high in his community. He was for three 

^ years Road Commissioner. 

^ We take pleasure in presenting Mr. Walton's por- 
trait to our readers, on a previous page. 

'^■■'^^^^^'^^^^ ^- — 



Seott Partridge, cashier in the banking 
j'ii a^fl liy house of Hicks, Bennett & Co., at Mt. 
Iip^^ Pleasant, was born Oct. 6, 1851, in Pratts- 
'OTiv burg Township, Steuben Co , N. Y. His fa- 
^ther, I). Scott Partridge, M. D., was a graduate of 
i Geneva (N. Y.) College, and a physician of marked 
ability, with every promise of a successful career in 
ills practice; but his death, almost at the beginning of 
Itis life of active usefulness, alike put an end to his 
prospects and the hopes of his friends. He died 
July 22, 1851, aged 24 years. The mother, Fanny 
(Weld) Partridge, was next to the youngest in the order 
of birth in a family of 14 children. She is a native 
of Steuben Co., N. Y., and resides at "Blood's," a vil- 
age in that county situated on the Rochester Divis- 
ion ofthe Erie Railroad. 

The ancestral line of the Partridge family is of un- 
mixed British origin. Burke states that the first of 
the name was Robert Partridge, the Norman, a man 
of valor who received the borough of Maiden for his 
services in the war between Matilda and Stephen of 
Hlois, in 1837. William Partridge, the earliest ances- 
tor who settled on this continent, came from Ber- 
wick-on-the-Tweed, Scotland, and settled in Hartford, 
Conn., about 1636, going later on, with a pioneer col- 
ony, to Hadley, Mass., from whom conies the direct 
line of descent. He was the progenitor of a pos- 
terity that in every generation sustained the honor of 
the [latronymic and with one or two exceptions reach- 
ed distinction. They intermarried with the Dudleys, 
Cottons, Haynes and Wylys, families of New Eng- 
land, whose connection with the settlement of that 
section is inseparable from its history, and whose de- 
s( eiidants located in Massachusetts, going thence to 
Vermont, where the earliest traceable lineal descend- 
ant of the family referred to in this sketch, Joseph 
Partridge, was born, Oct. 18, 1763, the year made 
memorable by the administration of the "beach real" 




in the settlement of the arbitrary claims of the State 
of New York. Jonas B. Partridge, son of Joseph, 
was born Nov. 25, 1795, in the Green Mountain State. 
Dr. D. Scott Partridge was born in 1827, in Pratts- 
burg, N. Y., and died as slated, two and one half 
months before the birth of his son. 

Mr. Partridge, of this sketch, attended the common 
schools of his native county until he was 13 years 
old, when he came to Marshall, Calhoun Co., Mich., 
making the trip alone. He entered the High School 
there, where he studied one year. He returned to 
his native State and became a student at the Naples 
Academy, where he remained a pupil about 18 
months. On leaving that institution, he went to Pough- 
keepsie and entered upon a course of commercial 
study in Eastman's Business College, where he was 
graduated April 2, 1868. He returned to his native 
county and passed the next two years in varied em- 
ployment. In October, 1870, he began to read law 
under the instructions of Butler & Parkhill, attorneys 
at Liberty, Steuben County. He was admitted to 
practice in the State Courts of New York in the Su- 
preme Court at Syracuse on the 8th day of Januarj', 
1874. He first engaged in practice with his former 
preceptors, and in the spring of 187 4 opened an office 
independently at Hornellsville, where he remained 
until December of the same year, when he came to 
.Mt. Pleasant. He arrived on the 30th day of the 
month and at once established his business, which he 
continued to manage alone until April 1, 1878. He 
was elected Justice of the Peace in k\)X<\, 1875, and 
has held the incumbency ever since. On the first of 
April, 1878, he formed a partnership with the Hon. 
I. A. Fancher and Peter F. Dodds, firm style Fancher, 
Dodds & Partridge. This firm, after carrying on the 
heaviest and most successful law business in the 
county for 18 months, terminated by mutual consent, 
and Mr. Partridge operated singly until the first of 
April, 1882, at which date he became associated with 
William I. Cutler, in the management of a real-estate, 
loan and collection office, under the firm name of 
Partridge & Cutler. This relation was in existence 
until Dec. 1, 1883. On the 9th of January, 1884, he 
assuiT.ed the duties of his present ixjsition. 

On his accession thereto he received the following 
testimonials from the local press at Mt. Pleasant, 
published in January, 1884: 

" D. Scott Partridge is now the cashier of Hicks, 



I 



V^ 



/\ 



I 

I 



j^_^ 



<m^M<>^^ — ^^ 



■^ h^j^ 






?t^ 



H.>v-^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



T 

h 






:-« 



V 



V 



Bennett & Cos bank. He is in every way capable of 
filling the iwsition, and will make a popular cashier." 
"The pleasant countenance of D. Scott Partridge, 
Esq., is now to be seen in Hicks, Bennett & Co 's bank 
as cashier. We think the bank made a wise choice 
in selecting Mr. Partridge. His business ability is 
good, integrity unquestioned, and he is respected by 
every one." 

Mr. Partridge is an adherentof the [irinciplesof the 
Democratic element in his political affiliations. He 
has been prominently identified with local politics, 
having served his party as delegate to county and 
State conventions, and in 1878 was placed in nomi- 
nation for Representative. He has also held the 
office of County Superintendent of the Poor, and been 
the incumbent of other local positions by appointment. 
In 1878-9 he discharged the duties of Village Clerk 
of Ml. Pleasant. He is prominent in Masonic cir- 
cles, and is serving his sixth term as Master of Wabon 
Lodge, No, 305, at Mt. Pleasant. On his last re-elec- 
tion, Dec. I 2, 1 8S3, the Northwestern Tribune pub- 
lished the following: "At the annual election of offi- 
cers of Wabon Lodge, No. 305, F. & A. M., a large 
number of the brethren were present, and D. Scott 
Partridge was re-elected Master, after which he was 
presented with a beautiful silver water service. Bro. 
S. C. Brown made the presentation speech, which by 
request is herewith published. The presentation was 
a complete surprise to the Master. 

" Worthy Brother: I have been accorded the dis- 
tinguished honor, by the brethren of Wabon Loflge, of 
presenting to you a token, not only of their respect for 
your personal character and gentlemanly courtesy 
toward your brethren of the craft, but of their appre- 
ciation of your valuable services during the six years 
you have presided in the East. They have not 
failed to recognize the fact that your administra- 
tion during all these years has made a very 
marked improvement in the affairs of the lodge. 
They remember that when you assumed supreme 
command, the lodge was not only financially 
embarrassed, but in many other respects was incum- 
bered with a heavy debt that had Ijeen steadily 
accumulating, and no proper effort being made for its 
liquidation. ***** My brother, I trust that you 
will not consider that I am indulging in fulsome (lat- 
tery when I make the statement that under your mas- 
ter hand the debts of the lodge have all been paid, 
new furniture bought, a splendid lodge room provid- 




ed and money in the treasury. Appreciating, there- 
fore, your honesty of purpose and purity of character, 
and your strict integrity in the discharge of the ardu- 
ous duties of your office, the brothers of this lodge 
have delegated to me the pleasing task of presenting 
to you this silver set. Its sterling purity will remind 
you that your brothers present it to you as an emblem 
of the purity of purpose which has marked every offi- 
cial act of yours while you have presided in the 
East." 

Mr. Partridge also belongs to Mt. Pleasant Chapter, 
No. Ill, Royal Arch Masons, which he was largely 
instrumental in organizing, and to St. Bernard Com- 
mandery. Knights Templar, No. 16, stationed at 
East Saginaw. He made the pilgrimage to San 
Francisco, in August, 1883, in connection with the 
Michigan Grand Commandery, on the occasion of the 
holding of the 22d Triennial Conclave of the Grand 
Encampment of the United States. 

His residence is a fine building, with tasteful 
grounds, including six lots. He owns besides, about 
three acres within the corporation, which was platted 
in 1880 under the name of " Partridge's Addition." 
He also owns building lots in other parts of the vil- 
lage, six acres of valuable land joining the village, be- 
sides valuable farm lands in the county. 
• He was married June 28, 1876, at Avoca, Steuben 
Co., N. Y., to Mary E., daughter of Albert T. and 
Elizabeth Parkhill. She was born Nov. 18, 1856, at 
Howard, Steuben Co., N. Y. Fannie, only child, 
was born Sept. 11, 1877,31 Pleasant. 

Mr. Partridge is a gentleman of active, ambitious 
temperament, keenly alive to all the laudable enter- 
prises common to the young men of his generation. 
He has been in the past zealously interested in the 
science of music, and when but 19 years of age or- 
ganized a band at Cohocton, N. Y., of which he was 
musical conductor two years. During his residence at 
Hornellsville, he was the leader of the band at that 
place. He also organized and obtained the equip- 
ments of the Opera House Band at Mt. Pleasant, in 
1881, of which he was the instructor and leader. He 
has been interested in the game of base ball at Mt. 
Pleasant, and has been the chief of every cl.;b 
organized at this place until 18S3, when his health 
prevented his joining the company. He is a stockhold- 
er in the Mt. Pleasant Driving Park, and was its first 
President. He was subsequently re-elected to the 
same position. 










':2>^iii?'Kr 



f 



/■ 
/^ 



1 

f 

> 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



The career of Mr. Partridge has been marked from 
first to last with the element that has become the true 
type of American character, — a laudable ambition 
to make the most of an opixirtunity and wrest from 
circumstances their best possibilities. 



Thomas W. Walton, lilacksmith, resident on 
section 5, Wise Township, was born Jan. 
17, 1857, in Canada. His parents, Thomp- 

y^ son and Mary (Elgie) Walton, were natives of 
England and emigrated to Canada, where the 
mother died, at the age of 73. The father died 
at Loomis, this county, aged 82. 

Mr. Walton attended the common schools of the 
Dominion until he was 17 years old, when he was 
a[)prenticed for three years to learn the trade of a 
blacksmith. He came to Midland County in 1876 
and was in liis brother's employ two years, working as 
a blacksmith. He was similarly employed at Cole- 
man for two years, and in 1877 came to Isabella 
County and bought out a shop in Loomis, where he 
operated five years. In 1883 he took possession of 
140 acres of land on section 5 and 6, of which he 
had become the owner some time previous. On this 
he has since continued to reside and combines the 
callings of blacksmith and agriculturist. He is a 
Republican in political principles and has officiated 
two years as Township Treasurer, one year as High- 
way Commissioner, and was Deputy Sheriff iS 
months. 

Mr. Walton's marriage with Minerva Baker oc- 
curred June 6, 1877. Her parents, August and 
Mary Baker, were natives of Germany. Mrs. Wal- 
ton was born in Canada. She and her husband are 
both members of the Presbyterian Church. 



^ohn C. liieaton, attorney at law, Mt. Pleas- 
ant, was born Oct. 18, 1848, in Port Rowan, 
Ont. He is a son of John T. and Eliz- 
abeth (White) Leaton. His father was for 
many years extensively engaged in lumbering 
in Canada and Michigan, and is yet doing a 
large business in the same line in Mississippi, but 
resides in Memphis, Tenn. 




Mr. Leaton, our subject, was placed in St. Mary's 
College, in Montreal, at the age of 12 years, in which 
institution he remained until 18 years of age. The 
five-years course of study gave him a thorough 
classical education. His parents moved to Saginaw 
in 1855, and John C. entered the law office of Messrs. 
Webber & Smith, under whose efficient tutelage he 
rapidly advanced in legal knowledge. After three 
years spent with this firm, he entered the Law De- 
partment of the University of Michigan, at Ann 
Arbor, at which institution he was graduated with 
honor, after taking a six-months course. Graduating 
in the spring of 1870, he returned to Saginaw and 
entered the office of Gaylord & Hanchett, attorneys, 
where he remained one year. In 187 i, he opened a 
law office in the village of Mt. Pleasant, and also 
engaged in buying and selling real estate. 

To say that Mr. Leaton has been very successful 
in business only partially expresses what the term 
really means, for his successes have been the basis of 
much of the enterprise and improvement which 
characterize this prosperous village. His connection 
with many prominent cases before the Courts of this 
county and elsewhere have given him a fine reputa- 
tion as a lawyer, which is second to none among the 
members of the Isabella County Bar. He has served 
a number of terms in an official capacity in this vil- 
lage, and was President of the Board in 1877. The 
management of the Flint & Pere Marcjuette Railroad 
have recognized in him an efficient attorney, having 
secured his services in several important suits; and 
he is their attorney at present. He was one of the 
members organizing Brown, Harris & Go's Bank, and 
is now largely interested in the general banking busi- 
ness of that company. He is also the senior mem- 
ber of the firm of Leaton & Upton, lumber dealers, 
who own the large mill formerly operated by Messrs. 
Pickard & Upton, which does the principal manu- 
facturing business of this place. Forty men are em- 
|)loyed by the firm, and the manufacturing capacity 
of their mill is 55,000 feet per diem. 

The firm of Brown & Leaton also own 30,000 
acres of valuable timber lands in the county, and 
several mills are running on these lands in their in- 
terest. Messrs. Brown & Leaton are the owners of 
400 acres of fine farming land tmder cultivation; also 
a brick-yard near Mt. Pleasant, as well as a sixth in- 
terest in Bennett's Addition. Everything which Mr. 



^ 

Y 



W 






V 



V 



c 



i 



|a^®))«^# 



■^T^^^nti^^titiv-)-^-^^^ — ^^^ 



-*^ji. 




-wsi^ssat-: 






c^-i^^-^-^ ^^p^-ea^i^-z^ 





*► .,,# 




<-X^^'Cv-<3L cJ^-^^v^.e-^ 



tf^* 



(h 



> 
/s 



s 

E 

s 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^rrK^X 



-4?^§5((®V^M 



45 « 



Leaton lias engaged in has been successful in a busi- 
ness point of view, and he ranks high in the estima- 
tion of the community, as a careful and iiijright man, 
whose prosperity is equaled only by his liberality 
and energy in promoting tho public good. 

His marriage to Stella L. Gaylord, of Saginaw, oc- 
curred Dec. 5, 1878. They are llie parents of two 
very interesting children — both daughters : Helen 
was born May 29, 1880, and Juanna, Oct. i, 1883. 
Mrs. Leaton was born in Geneva, Ohio, her parents 
being Harvey and Stella (Atkins) Gaylord. 




'-''^(1 ohn Fraser, retired farmer and one of the 
' \T-ih c.uliest settlers in Isabella County, residing 
at Mt. Pleasant, was born Aug. 16, 18 19, 
in Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y. His parents 
were Adkins and Mary (Richmond) Fraser, and 
were natives respectively of Massachusetts and 
Rhode Island. The mother was born in 1783 and 
died in 1867, in Michigan, aged 84 years. Tlie father 
was one year older .ind died in 1853, in tjie State of 
New York. 

Mr. Fraser was brought up on a farm and received 
a common school education. He left home at the 
age of 20 years to begin life on his own responsi- 
bility. His first venture of any importance was in 
the matrimonial line. He was married Dec. 31, 1841, 
at Watertown, N. Y, to Sylvia Ferris. She was born 
in 1822, in Permelia Township, Jefferson County, 
and is tiie daughter of Alexander and Rebecca Fer- 
ris. Mr. and Mrs. Fraser have had six cliildren, as 
follows: Julia (deceased) was the wife of Franklin 
Cushway, a printer, now resident at Saginaw City ; 
Elizabeth, deceased; Lepha is the wife of \Vm. H. 
Saxon, owner of the stage route from Gladwin to 
Loomis; Richmond is managing the family homestead 
in Chippewa Township ; Mary, wife of John Doods, 
is also residing there; Franklin was killed on the 
farm by a stroke of lightning, in 187 i; Ella is tlie 
wife of Stephen Potter, and resides witli her father at 
Mt. Pleasant. 

Soon after marriage, Mr. Fraser bought 58 acres of 
land in Hounsfield Township, Jefferson County, and 
afterwards increased his real estate by the purchase 
of 48 acres adjoining, the entire acreage constituting 
a desirable and valuable farm. He sold the property 



in the fall of 1856 and came to Isabella County with 
his family, consisting of his wife and six children, 
and his household effects and provisions. Tlie jour- 
ney to Saginaw from Jefferson County was made by 
water. Mr. Fraser bought a team at Saginaw and 
hired three others to convey his family and goods to 
their destination. They were obliged to cut the road 
they traversed for a distance of 50 miles. He had 
previously obtained a claim of 320 acres in Chip- 
pewa Township, on section 31. At the date of the 
purchase it was all dense forest, but is now in emi- 
nently creditable and valuable condition. It com- 
prises 320 acres of land in a finely improved state, 
with two sets of farm buildings. The orchards con- 
tain the best assortments of fruit, and altogether the 
place is one of the finest types of the advancement 
of agriculture in Isabella County within the last 30 
years. 

When Mr. Fraser settled in Chippewa, the town- 
ship contained but five other families. He cleared 
a small " patch " of ground and prepared to erect 
log buildings. The entire white male population of 
two townships, including eleven men, came to the 
I rising. Mr. Fraser built the first frame barn in the 
county, in the spring of 1857. There was no saw-mill 
in the county, and the braces and girths were hewed 
with the broad-ax. The boards in the doors and floors 
of his house were hewn in the same manner. The log 
house of his first building is still standing on the 
place. The products of the farm found ready mar- 
ket among the lumbermen, and everything com- 
manded prices which to-day seem fabulous. Mr. 
Fraser has sold hay for $80 per ton, corn at $1.50 
per bushel, and wheat at $250. The nearest milling 
point was Matherton, on Fish Creek, in Ionia County, 
50 miles distant. The thoroughfares were mostly 
trails, or the poorest roads, and a grist of about 
20 bushels of grain cost a week's travel under the 
most periilexing circumstances. Provisions were 
brought from Saginaw in canoes on the river. The 
first marriage in Isabella County took place in 1858 
or 1859, in Coe Township. 

Mr. David Foutch married a daughter of William 
Bowing. The ceremony was performed in the ab- 
sence of the bride's jiarents, and the Justice of the 
Peace, Willard Stewart, received a coon-skin for his 
fee. Witiiin Mr. Eraser's memory, the condition of 
the country and the trails from the effects of rain 
and other causes made travel impossible, and star- 



I 






C-<K 






^^i^ii^ 



-^WM^^>^r^ 



-4^^^^- 



r^ 






i!0!4;^ 



r 45 = 



^ 



1^ 






2^ vation seemed inevitable. At one time, when he had 
^ $i,ooo in gold in his house, he was obliged to shave 
•^ corn from the ear with a jack plane in order to obtain 
* food ; and grinding corn and wheat in coffee-mills 
was a common affair. A volume could be filled with 
such detail within his own experience. 

In the earlier years of his residence in Isabella 
County he practiced law and conducted numerous 
local cases arising from the emergencies of the times. 
He was elected the first Prosecuting Attorney of 
Isabella County, but did not qualify for the office, 
his farm requiring his undivided attention. He 
served one term as Justice of the Peace, with great 
reluctance. He retired to Mt. Pleasant in 1879, 
where he owns a house and lot on Franklin Street. 
He is a Democrat in his political connections. 

The portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Fraser appear on 
other pages. 



J illiam Adams, farmer on section 4, Coe 
^:aJl lf., Township, is a son of William and Martha 
'"^JI^J/"^ (Cunningham) Adams, natives of Ireland. 
j r^V The parents emigrated to Canada in 1836, 
JXK and afterwards removed to Hillsdale Co., 
\> Mich., where he died. The mother died in 
the State of Illinois, at a later period. Their family 
consisted of three sons and one daughter, William be- 
ing the youngest son. 

He was born in Ireland, Aug. 4, 1818, and when 18 
years old, left the Emerald Isle with his parents for 
America. He lived with them until 27 years old. 
Going to Vermont, he was for two years employed 
on a railroad, and then he returned to Hillsdale 
County, this State, to engage in agriculture. In No- 
vember, 1857, he came to Isabella County, and lo- 
cated on 160 acres in Cue Township, which he had 
purchased three years previous, and where he has 
since resided. 

He was married in Canada, May 6, 1S45, to Mary, 
daughter of Robert and Ann (Leach) Sheph'.'rd, na- 
tives of England. Mrs. Adams was also born in 
England, Sept. 22, 1824. She and her husband 
have been the parents of nine children, five of 
whom survive: Mary A., William E., Oliver H., John 
F. and Wellsley VV. The deceased children are 
Matilda J., Eliza D., Lydia E. and David R. Mr, A. 




ISABELLA COUNT\ 



fSE 



^Tf 



?Ay.' 



^S^^-i. 



^A<^I 



y^i 



was Ta.x Collector of his township three years, and 
Township Treasurer three years. Politically, he is 
strictly independent. He and wife are liberal in their 
religious views, but incline toward the Baptist faith. 

— -*^#a^«^ — 

"^F^ll eorge Abram Dusenbury, banker and 
■'i ksJf jL express agent, Mt. Pleasant, was born Feb. 
_^.,^4 21, 1845, at Marshall, Calhoun Co., Mich. 
^'if''^ He is the son of John and Elizabeth (Butler) 
■^ Dusenbury, natives of Broome Co., N. Y. The 
father was born in 1815, and grew to manhood 
in the place of his nativity, where he engaged in 
mercantile pursuits, and in 1836, after his marriage, 
removed to Marshall, Mich. He prosecuted the 
business of a merchant in that city until his death, 
which occurred May 18, 1857. His remote ances- 
tors were Hollanders. George's mother came of Eng- 
lish parentage, and now resides with her children at 
Mt. Pleasant. Five sons and three daughters were 
in the above family, four of whom are living. They 
were born ir. the following order: Frank, Kate, 
Ellen, Harper, George, Edgar, William and Emily. 
The oldest son was a Paymaster in the United 
States Navy, during the progress of the civil war, 
and is now deceased. 

Mr. Dusenbury received a common-school educa- 
tion, at Marshall, and, at the age of 16 years, went to 
Kalamazoo, Mich., where he became accountant in 
the employment of E. B. Walbridge, a miller and 
grain merchant of that city, where he continued 
nearly a year. He obtained a situation in the joint 
offices of the United States and American Express 
Companies at Bloomington, 111., where he operated a 
year, and was called thence to the office of the 
"American" at Chicago, where he officiated four years 
as corresponding clerk. In 1866 he went to Cincin- 
nati, and was there interested in the organization and 
establishment of the City Express Company. At the 
end of a year he sold out and went to the city of 
New York, where he again entered the employ of the 
"American," and continued his connection with their 
interests until the fall of 1876, when he came to 
Michigan. He located at Homer, Calhoun County, 
and associated himself in commercial business with 
C. J. Murray, under the firm style of Murray & 






% 



C< 



r 



\^^ 



JSi^^:~ 






?2C3?ia=«, 



T2^v— 6v<>nIl:^:no^> 



A 



>.•' 



V 



^ 



y 

R 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



.^./-X--^ _ 

A^^^' ^ 



i^t^fsvii 



453 



Dusenbiiry. The relation existed until the spring 
of 1880. 

The deatli of his brother Frank, which took place 
at Mt. Pleasant in January, 1880, summoned Mr. 
Dusenbury hither. His widowed mother and sister 
had moved here a year previous, and he deemed it 
expedient to locate here, as the circumstances of the 
family reipiired his personal attention ; and he ac- 
cordingly sold his business at Homer to his partner, 
and transferred his interests and family to Mt. Pleas- 
ant. His first business transactions were in the line 
of financial operations, in real estate and other loans. 
In 1881, associated with his brother William, he es- 
tablished his present business, which includes the 
operations common to private banking institutions, 
and also lending on real estate. Mr. Dusenbury is 
identified with the solid business interests of Mt. 
Pleasant, and is the possessor of considerable real 
estate in the village where he lives and in Isabella 
County. He built his residence in 1881, and in the 
winter of 1884 the Dusenbury Brothers erected a 
business block at Gladwin, in the county of the same 
name, where, in company with J. M. Shaffer, they 
established a trade in general merchandise. Early in 
1884 they disposed of their share of the stock and 
retained ownership of the real estate. 

Mr. Dusenbury was married June 24, 1875, at 
Evanston, 111., to Ida S., daughter of Theodore and 
Jane (Stebbins) Perry. She was born Dec. 14, 1850, 
at Lacon, 111., where her father was a merchant for a 
score of years. Her mother is deceased. Three of 
four children born of this marriage are yet living. 
Bessie was born Aug. 27, 1876; Allan T., Jan. 6, 
1878, and Ross Butler, Nov. 10, 1879. Adele was 
born June 3, 1881, and died Aug. 27, 1882. 



dward C. Ney, farmer on section 36, Coe 
Township, is a son of John and Rebecca 
iW*^"* Ney, natives of Connecticut. The mother 
died in Van Buren, Onondaga Co., N. Y., and 
the father died in DeVVitt, same county. Tiie 
subject of this notice was born in the State of 
Connecticut, Sept. 5, 1816, and was four years old 
when his parents left Connecticut to live in New 
York. 

He remained in that State until 1840, and then 




came to Lapeer Co., Mich., and lived until May, 
1880, when he made his last move, coming to Isabella 
County and buying 60 acres in Coe Township, where 
is his present home. He has about 30 acres under 
cultivation. 

He was married in Lapeer County, Aug. 8, 1840, 
to Rebecca Robison, who was born in the State of 
New York, July 5, 18 17. Of this marriage there have 
been born eight children, — Ellen R., Tacy, Sarah, 
Edward, Cynthia, William and (Jeorge. One died 
in infancy. 

Mrs. N. is in religious belief an Adventist. Mr. N. 
is politically a warm Democrat. 






,|'i;;^dgar W. Allen, farmer, section 17, Wise 

"■ Township, was born in Ohio, Mar. 13, 1848. 

His parents, Samuel and Nancy A. (Doug- 



e 






V/ 



( 



A<:ag^ 



ijk lass) Allen, were natives of Vermont and Con- 
necticut respectively. They made their first lo- 
cation after marriage in Northern New York, and ^^ 
afterwards in Ohio, where they passed many years in ft/ 
different localities. They came later in life to Gen- =^= 
esee Co., Mich., where they remained about seven 
years. At the expiration of that time they removed 
to Tuscola County, where the father died, July 31, 
1868. The mother is an inmate of the home of her 
daughter in Fulton Co., Ohio, and is 86 years of age. 
Mr. Allen is the only son of his parents, and ac- 
quired his education in the common schools of his 
native State previous to his reaching the age of 16 
years. At that period he came to Michigan. His 
father had met with financial difficulties, and the 
son became the main dependence of his parents, to 
whom he proved dutiful and loyal, repaying them 
with large interest the kind care he had received from 
them. At the death of his father, his mother return- 
ed to Ohio, where she now lives. 

In the spring of 187 i, Mr. Allen came to Saginaw, 
Mich., where he interested himself in various occu- 
pations for two years. In the fall of 1873 he came to 
Isabella County and bought the property on which 
he has since resided and labored. His land includes 
80 acres, with 30 cleared and cultivated. He was 
one of the pioneers of Wise Township, and has 
taken an active interest in all matters pertaining to 
his duties as a citizen. He is of the Republican ^ 



I 




^^!<X>V,^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY 



4^t^(^''i 



T 



J 

C'-) 

^ 



faith, and has officiated in most of the important lo- 
cal offices. In August, 1883, he was appointed 
Supervisor to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation 
of James McLeod, of which office he is still the incum- 
bent, having been re elected in the spring of 1884. 
He lias served as Highway Commissioner a year, and 
has held the various school offices, among them School 
Inspector. 

Mr. Allen was married in Genesee Co., Mich., Sept. 
9, 1862, to Minerva A., daughter of Eden B. and 
Minerva (Bacon) Parker. She was born Aug. 25, 
1846, in Livingston Co., N. Y. Her parents are 
natives of Vermont. Maud M., Ruth S., Ralph C. 
and Clyde O. are the names of the children now in- 
cluded in the household of Mr. Allen. 




V 



rank Williams, farmer on section 35, Coe 

J Township, is a son of William R. and Bet- 

5^''^ sey (Gibbs) Williams (see sketch of W. 
M. Williams) and was born in St. Lawrence 
Co., N. Y., June 18, 1852. He was three 
years old when his parents came to Ingham 
County, and eight years old when the family settled 
in this county. He has since followed farming and 
working in the woods, and now resides on the home- 
stead his father owned. 

He was married in Coe Township, Sept. 26, 1877, 
to Delilah A., daughter of Anson and Eliza (Turner) 
Davenport, residents of Coe Township. Mrs. W. 
was born in Cortland Co., N. Y., Jan. 27, 1859, and 
is the mother of a daughter, Minnie B , born May 
28, 1878. 

Politically, Mr. W. is a Repuljlican. 



-\ei2£fir©ig^— fe 



""ames O'Connor, farmer on section 18, Vcr- 
% non Township, was born in the city of De- 
troit, Dec. 25, 1849, the son of Michael 
O'Connor, who was a native of Ireland. Losing 
his parents when seven years old, he lived with 
an uncle until 14, receiving a fair common 
English education. He then commenced to earn his 
own livelihood. 

Feb. 4, 1864, wliile in his 15th year, he cnlislcd in 







Co. F, 17th Mich. Vol. Inf ; and during his service 
he was engaged in seven battles, among which were 
the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court-House and Cold 
Harbor. He was wounded at the last named place, 
and after nearly a year's confinement in the hospital, 
was honorably discharged July 18, 1865. 

Returning to Flint, Mich., he was employed as a 
shingle packer and afterwards as a sawyer, in a 
shingle-mill, for four years. He then became a saw 
filer, and was thus occupied until 1872, four years of 
the time being in the employ of Gov. Begole. In 
the year named he came to this county, and engaged 
as filer for Wilson Bros., of Vernon Township. In 
1881 he settled on 80 acres on section 18, which he 
had purchased in 1875. He has improved half of 
this tract. 

June 20, 1872, was the date of his marriage to 
Miss Amanda M. Brooks. She was born in Tuscola 
County, Aug. lo, 1857, and is the mother of two 
children, one of whom is dead. Charles was born 
Nov. 12, 1873. Willie was born Nov. 2, 1881, and 
died Sept. 22, 1881. 

Mr. O. is a member of the I. O. O. F. He is in 
politics a Democrat, and is Township Treasurer, hav- 
ing been elected in 1883. 







j ev. John R. Robinson, preacher and mis- 
sionary on the Petosky Indian circuit and 
resident in the township of Isabella, Isa- 
bella County, is the only child of Rix 
Robinson, the first white settler in Kent Co., 
Mich. 

Rix Robinson came to the Grand River Valley in 
1821, in the interests of the American FurCompany. 
He was a man of remarkable character, who com- 
manded the respect of the savages among whom he 
spent his life and from whose history he is insepara- 
ble, l)y the nature of his relations with them. In 
September folloiving his arrival in Kent County, he 
married Mis-so quot-o-<iuay, a woman of the Mack- 
inaw Indians. She became the mother of one child, 
— John R., — who was born March 5, 1826. She 
died of consumption about the year 1848, in Ottawa 
Co., Mich. Rix Robinson died at Ada, Kent Co., 
Mich., in 1S74. 



vfc) 



/s 



C< 






r 




I,,.;f-'^'^. /| 




.:^/c^if>^^cyi^^ ^^i>-/^^'i^^t^^^t-^V^ 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-:2j>^-isr 



4^^j(^V^ 



T 

6 



Y 

) 



^ 



I 

C 



457 






John R. Robinson received the best educational 
advantages of the sections wliere his father had busi- 
ness interests. He was sent to an infant school on 
the island of Mackinaw, taught by Mrs. Sarah C. 
Owens, and later to the school at Flat River, now 
Lowell, in Kent County, taught by Caroline Beard, 
who was married to Caleb Page. Later on he was 
sent to Grand Rapids to complete his period of study. 
On reaching manhood he became manager of his 
father's large estate, and during the winter seasons 
J engaged in buying furs for Nelson Robertson, for the 
•J Fort Wayne Company, Louis Canipau and A. Rob- 
j erts & Son, of Grand Rapids. He was afterwards in- 
terested in the construction of the Detroit & Milwau- 
kee Railroad, and superintended the building of six 
miles of the track near Spring Lake and in the 
vicinity of Ionia, this enterprise occupying two years. 
On its termination he engaged as an Indian trader 
in Oceana County at Pentwater and Elbridge, in 
which he continued three years. During the past 
2o years he has been engaged to some extent in the 
same variety of traffic at various points in Michigan. 
He has acted all his life as Indian interpreter, hav- 
ing learned from childhood both the English lan- 
guage and the Indian dialects. 

In the years 1862 and '3 he assisted in raising a 
company of military recruits, and intended entering 
the service of the United Slates under a Lieutenant's 
commission, but his father interfered, as he was an 
only son. Still he continued to do valuable service 
as a recruiting officer, and received the enlistment of 
a considerable number of whites and Indians. 

While at Pentwater he was converted to the Chris- 
tian religion, through the efforts of the Revs. Lee and 
Boynton, revival preachers of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, and from tiie period of his conversion 
was a changed man. The license of the life he lived, 
and the opportunities afforded him by unlimited re- 
sources of money, etc., derived from his father's 
immense property, had subjected him to deleterious 
influences and he ran a career of dissipation, of whose 
character he was scarcely conscious until its enor- 
mity was brought to his comprehension by the efforts 
of the Methodist missionaries. Within a year after 
his conversion he was licensed a local preacher, and 
has since done valiant service among the people with 
whom he is connected by blood. 

He was married March 15, 1846, to Lucy A., 



daughter of Solomon and Clementina (Granger) 
Withey. She was born in 1829, in St. Alban's, Vt., 
and by her marriage became the mother of five chil- 
dren, liorn as follows: Harriet E., Feb. 13, 1849; 
Andrew J., Aug. 17, 185T, died Aug. 27, 1852; 
Charity C.,June 13, 1853, died Aug. 24, 1866; Den- 
nis W., Feb. 8, 1856, died Aug. 25, 1856; James B., 
Sept. 29, 1857, died Feb. i, 1879. 

Mrs. Robinson passed many years of her life as a 
teacher among the people to whom she became al- 
lied through her marriage. At the time of her death 
she was teaching at the Sheldon school-house near 
Nipissing. She died in the religious harness, and is 
succeeded in her labors by her sole surviving child, 
Harriet E. Robinson, who is following worthily in the 
work of her sainted mother. 



-taasiQ/^^^ 



^©fS'Zizrzriv 



V^ 



feenry Woodin, farmer and mill owner on 
^^—.jJs section 28, Sherman, is a son of Henry and 
xi^ Lydia (Earl) Woodin, natives of New York. 

Henry Woodin, Sr., was a farmer, and died in his 
native State. His son Henry was born Nov. 
6, 1S27, in Monroe ('o., N. Y., and lived at home 
until 19 years of age, receiving a good elementary 
English education in the common schools. After 
leaving the parental roof he was employed in various 
grist-mills until 1853, when he came to Saginaw, this 
Slate. He then worked at farming and lumbering 
until 1869, when he came to this county, selected a 
mill-site on (Chippewa River, and erected a grist and 
saw mill, which he has operated ever since. He 
owns at the present time 1,050 acres of land, includ- 
ing 1 20 acres of winter wheat. He has in all 200 
acres improved, and good farm buildings. 

He was married in 1838, to Miss Sarah B. Rose, 
who was born Sept. 10, 1825, in Ontario Co., N. Y., 
the daughter of William and Anna (Barber) Rose, of 
New York Slate. Three children have been born to 
Mr. and Mrs. W. : George E. was born Aug. 11, 
1848, and was accidentally killed in iiis father's saw- 
mill, in 1878: Anna A., was born July 12, 1850 ; and 
Louella E., Aug. 10, i860. 

In |iolitical faith, Mr. Woodin is a Democrat. He 
was elected Supervisor in 1871, and held the office 



/ 






m 



4S8 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



•ZiS^^ 



.-A''*-. 



fsix consecutive years; and in 1883 and 1884 he was 
again chosen to the same position. He is a member 
%» of the Masonic Order. 

I The portrait of Mr. Woodin is given in tliis work, as 
(^ that of a worthy and representative citizen of Isabella 
County. 



O 



'41^"""^ nett Hou: 
^ St. John's, Cli 



■ M^ rederiek A. Stebbins, of the firm of F. 
. ^ , A. Stebbins & Co., proprietors of the Ben- 
se at Mt. Pleasant, was born at 
John's, Clinton Co., Mich., March 7, 1859. 
'l^ He is the son of Wolcott L. and Lucinda 
i (Francisco) Stebbins, residents 01 St. Louis, 
Gratiot Co., Mich. Their family comprise eight chil- 
dren, — Edgar, Arthur, Clara, Fred, Orville, Minnie, 
Bessie and Mynie. Clara, the eldest daughter, is 
) npw Mrs. John Hughs, of St. Louis. 

Mr. Stebbins spent his boyhood and youth in ob- 
^^ taining his education, and at the age of 17 decided 
° to learn the business of harness-maker, and spent 
^t^ some time in acquiring its details, in a sliop at St. 
° Louis. After completing his knowledge of the voca- 
^y tion he attended school one year. Afterward he 
formed a partnership with his brother, A. M. Steb- 
{( -s bins, in the business of harness-making. The rela- 
tion existed two years, when he purchased the interest 
of his brother and continued its managen.ent singly 
for some time, when he interested himself in the 
jewelry business, which he prosecuted three years in 
Ithaca, Gratiot County. 

He was married Aug. 30, 1879, at St. Louis, to 
Cora A. Richardson. She was born June 2, 1862, in 
Lyons, Fulton Co., Ohio, and is the eldest child of 
M. D. and Roby L- (Worden) Richardson. (See 
sketch of M. D. Richardson.) Louie R. , eldest 
child of this marriage, was born July 11, 1880, at St. 
Louis, and died in that place Dec. 24, 1880. Pearl 
T. was born March 29, 1882, at Ithaca, Gratiot 
County. 

After his marriage Mr. Stebbins purchased the fix- 
i tares of the Fox (Retan) House at Ithaca, which he, 

f associated with his father in-law, opened for the ac- 
commodation of the public, and they continued its 
management until the first of May, 1S83. At that 
f® date they came to Mt. Pleasant and took [Msssession 
7* of the Bennett House, a new hotel built by Come- 



lius Bennett, whose name it bears. It is a finely 
constructed building, fronting on Broadway, three 
stories in height above the basement, and is 118 by 
60 feet in dimensions. It is one one of the most 
popular and best managed hotels in Northern Michi- 
gan, holding a large and constantly increasing pat- 
ronage. It is supplied with first-class modern fixtures, 
has fine, convenient sample rooms, billiard hall, etc. 
Messrs. Stebbins & Richardson own, as auxiliary to 
the hotel, a farm of 20 acres in Union Township, sit- 
uated three-fourths of a mile east of the village of 
Mt. Pleasant, which they have placed in the best 
order of cultivation, and design to supply the hotel 
which they manage with the table commodities of 
the best character, securing fresh eggs, dairy products 
and vegetables, thus promoting the comfort and well- 
being of their patrons. 



1^0 ffl ndrew r. Childs, farmer on section 29, Coe 
j ^'"j^| .| Township, is a son of John and Mary 
%i^^ (Craig) Childs, natives of New York and 
Maine. The parents came to Michigan and 
settled in Monroe County, afterwards reniov- 
' ing to Jackson County, where they died. Their 
family of children numbered nine, six of whom grew 
to be adults. Andrew, the fifth, was born in Wash- 
tenaw County, Jan. 30, 1833, and remained at home 
till 22 years old, attending the common schools and 
assisting his father on the farm. 

He came to Isabella County in February, 1853, 
and is truly a pioneer. He bought 160 acres on sec- 
tion 29, Coe Township, where he has continuously 
resided. He has about 125 acres improved and in 
a state of scientific cultivation. 

He was first married in Jackson County, this State, 
Nov. 22, 1852, to Sarah Bunce. She died March 12, 
1865, leaving four children, — Clarissa A., Eliza J., 
Darwin and Orlando. Eliza J. died May 28, 1879, 
aged nearly 21, having married Merritt I-eonard, of 
Coe Township. Mr. C. was again married, in Isa- 
bella County, April 20, 1865, to Susan E , daughter 
of Daniel and Eliza (Waters) Casey, and widow of 
Alden S. Davis, who was killed in the battle of Cold 
Harbor, June 3, 1864. Mrs. Childs was born in Gen- 
esee Co., N. Y., Nov. 30, 1834. She had by the first 



J 



<^ 



A 



c^: 






(p^ 



I 



> 



r>A^. 



'-^fri^r^f^ 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



r^^ 



/\ 



>: 



V 



4 




^^ marriage a son, Frank, and by her second, two chiU 
' "i dren, Jessa and Raldon. 

.'*", Mr. C. has held the different school offices, and 
r has also been Pathmaster. He is a Kepuhlicaii, a 

Freemason, and, with his wife, a member of ilie 

Methodist Episcopal Church. 



rthur N. Ward, teacher in District No. 6, 
Isabella Township, residing at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, is a son of Nathaniel and Emily («(•<• 
Everest) Ward, natives of Vermont and New 
York, respectively, and both of New England 
[jarentage. The father was a teacher and surveyor 
by occupation and died in 1863. The mother is still 
living, and is a resident of Chippewa Township, this 
county. 

Arthur N. was born in Ionia County, this .State, 
Jan. I, 1S62. Four years later he came witli his 
mother and step-father to this county. They settled 
in Chippewa Township and entered on the arduous 
though pleasant task of improving their land. When 
they first came to the township, but few families had 
settled in it and the land they procured was a dense 
forest. With true pioneer " grit " they entered on the 
task of improvemeit, and, supported by faith in the 
future development of the country and an abundance 
of energy, they overcame all obstacles. 

Arthur lived on llie old homestead, assisted the 
father on the farm, and attended the public and com- 
mon schools until he attained the age of 15 years. 
On arriving at this age he began teaching in the 
public schools of this county. He continued to teach 
winters, and during the spring and summer attended 
the union school at Mt. Pleasant, the more thor- 
oughly to educate himself for his profession. Though 
a young man, he has attained that perfection and 
system in his profession whii h calls forth many en- 
comiums from the citizens in whose district he has 
taught. 

Mr. Ward was iniited in marriage, Sept. 3, 1882, 
with Miss Minnie, daughter of Charles and Sophro- 
nia (Landon) Taylor, natives of England and Can- 
ada respectively. The father, by occupation, was a 
farmer and is at present living in Chippewa Town- 
ship, this county. Minnie was born Jan. 4, 1862, in 
Chipjiewa 'i'ownship. She was reared and grew to 




womanhood under the parental roof, and the mem- 
ories of the old homestead, with its trials and cares, 
its joys and pleasures, are fondly cherished by her 
yet. Her education was acquired at the old log- 
cabin schools of her county and the schools at Mt. 
Pleasant; and at the age of 15 she entered upon the 
profession of teaching, which she continued with 
credit and success until the date of her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ward are the parents of one child, 
an infant, born May 12, 1883. Politically, Mr. Ward 
is a staunch supporter of and believer in the prin- 
ciples of the Republican party. 






M. Brooks, farmer, section 14 



^llfH-i^harles 
^1(^7^3^ Union Township, and ex-Sheriff of Isa- 
^jg^ bella County, was born Sept. 5, 1840, in 
fjl? Clinton, Seneca Co., Ohio. His father, James 
I M. Brooks, was born June 14, i8ii,in Cayuga 
Co., N. Y., and married Nancy Myers. The mother 
was born Oct. 6, 1810, in Fairfield Co., Ohio. Her 
family was of German origin and settled in Virginia. 
Mr. Brooks, senior, removed his family to Iowa City, 
Iowa, in the fall of 1849, returning thence in the 
spring of 1850 to the township of Rives, in Jack- 
son Co., Mich. They settled on a farm of 162.64 
acres, where they reared their children, giving them 
the education of the common schools. The father 
died on the homestead June 12, 1865. Thedeatiiot 
the mother occurred June 23, 1861. 

Mr. Brooks was engaged in agriculture until his 
marriage, which took place in 1868, and soon after 
that event he went to Everett, Cass Co., Mo., where 
he opened a general store and continued its manage- 
ment about seven months, when he exchanged his 
stock for 40 acres of land in Bates Co., Mo. He 
took possession of the place, and a short time after- 
wards discovered that his title was defective. He 
returned to Everett, where he opened a general store, 
in company with Jefferson Willhite. Six months 
later, the firm style became Brooks & Wilson by a 
change in the junior partnership. This relation ex- 
isted about a year, when Mr. Brooks disposed of his 
interest and returned to Jackson County, to take 
charge of the home estate. He continued to man- 
age the property about a year and a half. On the 
first of March, 1873, he came to Isabella County and 



I 



SJ^ 



c) 



myymm^-- 



-55:^^^ 



.l:^^ 



m 



ls>A 



'Sfir. 



(O, 






>5 



^ 



bought 80 acres of timber land on section 23, in 
Union Township, where he resided till March, 1884, 
when he sold the estate. He removed to a farm of 
40 acres, which he owns on section 14, and which 
he is vigorously engaged in placing in first-class farm- 
ing condition, and proposes to erect thereon a fine 
house and suitable buildings. He also owns three 
building lots in the village. 

Mr. Brooks has been continuously in public office 
for the last decade. He served as Township Treas- 
urer during the years 1874-5-6-7, and in 1878 dis- 
charged the duties of Supervisor. In the autumn of 
that year he was nominated for Sheriff on the Demo- 
cratic and Fusion tickets, and made a successful run 
against Thomas J. Fordyce, Republican nominee, 
and Tunis W. Swartz, whose name appeared on the 
Independent ticket. Mr. Brooks received a majority 
of 24 votes. In the fall of 1880 he achieved another 
triumph, being re-elected to the same position by 150 
Wiajority. He returned to his farm in January, 1882, 
and was elected Supervisor, which position he is now 
occupying. During the year 1881-2 he was engaged, 
in addition to the business of his office, in selling 
agricultural implements, in company with Messrs. 
Hance & Upton. The firm style was Charles M. 
Brooks & Co., and the business was located on Broad- 
way, nearly opposite the Bennett House at Mt. 
Pleasant. 

Mr. Brooks was married June 18, 1868, in Colum- 
bus Grove, Futnam ('o., Ohio, to Mary A. Mc Clure. 
She was born Dec. 15, 1843, in Putnam County, 
and is a daughter of Andrew and Mary A. McClure. 
Stratton D., only child, was born Sept. 10, 1869, in 
Bates Co., Mo. 

I^nson Davenport, farmer on section 26, Coe 
|!( Township, is a son of Hezekiah and Nellie 
S-'ja* (English) Davenport, natives respectively 
of Rensselaer Co., N. Y., and Tioga Co., Pa. 
The parents first settled in Tompkins Co., N. 
Y., and afterwards removed to Onondaga 
County, same State, where they lived two years. 
They then returned to Tompkins County, where they 
died, he in October, 1848, and she in April, 1851. 
Their family included eight sons and three daughters, 
Anson being the fifth son. 

He was born in Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y., 





Nov. 7, 1835, and received a common-school educa- 
tion and assisted on his father's farm until 15 years 
old, when he was for two years employed at gun- 
smithing. He was next employed on the Erie Canal, 
and then worked for a short time in a hotel. In the 
fall of 1851 he came with his oldest brother, Ben- 
jamin, to the Peninsular State, and lived for one 
year in Parma, Jackson County. He then lived al- 
ternately in New York and Michigan until the fall of 
1866, when he bought a farm in Montcalm County, 
on which he lived two years. His next venture was 
to build a hotel at Carson City, same county, which 
he operated one year. Disposing of his hotel, he 
bought a farm in Ingham County, which he worked 
five years. He then lived one year ni Gratiot 
County, and in January, 1875, he came to this county 
and bought 80 acres in Coe Township, where he has 
since resided. He has disposed of 40 acres, and 
one-half the remainder is under the plow. 

He was married in Dryden, Tompkins Co., N. Y., 
Nov. 7, 1856, to Eliza, daughter of Alanson and 
Sarah (Weeks) Turner, natives of New York. She 
was born in Homer, Cortland Co., N. Y., July 27, 
1840. Of this marriage one daughter has been 
born, Delilah A., the wife of Frank Williams. Politi- 
cally, Mr. D., is strictly independent. 

ohn A. Schafer, farmer, section 14, Notta- 
wa Township, was the son of Mathias and 
- Catharine («(V Schueller) Schafer, natives 
of Germany. The father died Sept. 2, 1874, 
^r and the mother is still living, in Dallas Town- 
\ ship, C'linton County, this State. 
Mr. Schafer, Jr., the subject of our sketcli, was 
born in Prussia, July 31, 1848. He emigiated with 
his parents to America and settled at Westjjhalia, 
Clinton County, this State, July 10, 1854. 

Coming, as he did, to Clinton County at an early 
day, he experienced all the trials of tiie early pioneer 
and successfully battled against and overcame them. 
He remained in that county unlil 1880, when, on the 
3d day of June, he came to this county with his 
faniily. He had previously, Jan. 27, 1880, purchased 
a farm of 80 acres, on which he moved and entered 
on the pleasant though laborious task of improving it. 
I'Vb. 26, the same year, Mr. S. purchased 40 acres 



I 

I 



^ ■ 

1 — ' 



(V 



r^ 






,.sy?%^. 



-K"^D n "^^ ti ^'<>^ — :2%p#^ 



445^:^11 




^yri- 



?-1^'d^^^ 



T 




-2f^^t 



■^rv'v'':! 



A 



b^?^r^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



463 -L 



4 



more, making the aggregate of his landed possessions 
120 acres. Of this, he has improved 50 acres, and 
has erected thereon a commodious residence and a 
good barn. 

Mr. Schafer was united in marriage, Nov. 4, 1873, 
Y •'■' Westphalia, Clinton County, to Miss Katrina, 
daughter of Peter Smith. Her father and mother are 
both deceased, the former dying Nov. 6, 1S69, and 
the mother Dec. 18, 1859. Mrs. Schafer was born 
March 7, 1S50, in Westpiialia. To their union four 
children were born, three of whom are living: John 
P., born Dec. 29, 1874; Anna M., born Nov. 20, 
1879; and Frank, born July 27, 1882. Josejjh was 
born Sept. 15, 1877, and died May 4, 1882. 

Mr. Schafer is now holding the office of Township 
Assessor, and in politics affiliates with the Demo- 
cratic party. He and Mrs. S. are both members of 
the Roman Catholic Church. 



■-^1 — <^tg!= 

Crego, farmer, stock-raiser and 
residing on section 30, Lincoln 
Township, was born in Liberty, Jackson 
^ Co., this State, Aug. 8, 1858. 

The father of our subject, Richard J. Crego, 
was a native of Erie Co., N. Y., of English and 
(German e.xtraction, and came to this State in the 
year 1835 and settled in Jackson County. When he 
came to that county it was but little settled and he 
may be considered one of the pioneers. He located 
on a farm in the township of Liberty about ten miles 
south of Jackson, and cast his lot with those of many 
others of Michigan's early pioneers. Jackson at that 
time was but a small village, consisting of a few log 
huts, and in many parts of the county the hand of 
improvement could not be seen at all. Possessing 
great faith in the future development of the county 
and an abundance of energy and perseverance, he 
set to work to clear and improve his land, and before 
his death he succeeded in placing his second farm in 
high cultivation, and erecting thereon a fine resi- 
dence. He was a man of good education and was 
greatly honored and respected by the citizens of the 
county. He was Representative in the State Legisla- 
ture during the entire administration of Gov. Blair 
and in the Senate during Gov. Crapo's term. 

Frank C. Crego, the subject of this biographical 




(c\ 



I 



notice, left the farm in Liberty \x\x>x\ which he was 
born and moved with his parents to the town of Co- 
lumbia, near Brooklyn, when seven years old. He 
lived on the farm, attending school at Brooklyn, 
Napoleon and Jackson, and spent a portion of his ^ 
time on the farm, where idleness was not permitted, y 
and acquired a good practical knowledge of agricul- 
ture. At the age of 16 years the father of our 
subject died, and (his mother having previously died) 
Frank was sent by his uncle to Hillsdale College, 
at Hillsdale. He remained at that school for two 
and one-half years, and then went to the home of 
of his uncle and there remained until lie had at- 
tained the age of manhood. 

When 22 years old Mr. Crego came to this county 
and purchased 80 acres of partly improved land. 
This was the summer of 1878, and Mr. Crego has 
spent his time and means since then in the improve- 
ment of that land and his stock interests. He is a 
breeder of swine and sheep, and prides himself, as 
justly he may, on his success in that line. His speci- 
alty in swine is the "Thoroughbred Chester Whites," 
and in sheep the "American Merino." He has at- 
tended several exhibitions of stock, almost all the 
county fairs and the Northeastern District fair at 
Saginaw, with his stock, and has always succeeded 
in obtaining the " blue ribbon," or first premium. 
At Saginaw Mr. Crego was awarded five first pre- 
miums on his " Chester Whites," and also second 
premium. He competes with the best breeders in 
the State in his line, and has always succeeded in 
capturing the prize. 

Mr. Crego was united in marriage, iShirch 13, 1879, 
with Miss Caroline McGregor. She was a daughter 
of Hamilton and Eliza (Hazlett) McGregor, natives 
of New York, and of Scotch and English e.\traction. 
They are at jjresent residents of Fremont Township, 
this county. Caroline was born in Ontario Co., N. 
Y., Aug. 12, 1857. She came to this State when 12 
years of age, and has since lived in Hillsdale and 
Isabella Counties. She acijuired a good education 
at the common and public schools and taught two 
terms previous to her marriage. 

Mr. and Mrs. Crego are the parents of one child, 
Ida A., born June 21, i88r. Mr. C. at present is 
Chairman of the Board of School Inspectors and 
Highway Commissioner for his township, as well as 
a member of the Executive Board of the County 






c^: 



( 



(^ 



1 



■^nM'^<^>^r^ — ^^^^ 



^mmj^m 



m 



w 



"^^^"i:^'^ 



<m'^u^>v-^ :^^— 



464 






V 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



i%l 



i^- — - — 

^y At;ricuUural Society and General Sui)erintendent for 
'f,\ this year. In politics he affiliates with the Repub- 
^ lican party. 

XThe portrait of Mr. Oego, on a preceding paj^e, 
will be considered a necessary addition to our collec- 
tion in this work. 




Cames Wilsey (deceased), late farmer on 
section 17, Coe Township, was born in 
Dutchess Co., N. Y., Nov. 22, 1811, and 
was a son of Conrad and Polly Wilsey, natives 
of the State of New York. He lived in the 
Empire State until 1845, then came to Jackson 
County, this State, and rented different farms for 
about nine years, in Jackson and Washtenaw Coun- 
ties. In October, 1854, he came to Isabella County 
and took up 160 acres under the Graduation Act. 
He at once began to clear the same, and at the time 
of his death had about 40 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Jackson Co., Mich., to Lydia, 
daughter of John and Mary (Craig) Childs. (Sec 
sketch of A. F. Childs.) Mrs. Wilsey was born in 
Medina, N. Y., Aug. 12, 1S21. .\mos, Hoffman 
and Lester are the three children added to the family 
circle. 

Mr. Wilsey was a prominent and popular man. 
He was Probate Judge of this county two terms. 
Supervisor of Coe Township two years, and Highway 
Commissioner four years. He was an ardent Demo- 
crat in his political views. He belonged to the Dis- 
ciples' Church, to which organization Mrs. \V. also 
adheres. 




% 



, harles P. Jeflfords, of the firm of Jeffords 

'!ll^=^| & Whitney, manufacturers of sash, doors 

(ind blinds, all kinds of building material and 

^£t novelties, Mt. Pleasant, was born in Niagara 

n\ Co., N. Y., Sept. 27, 1845, ''^"'^ 's ''^^ son of 

Horace and Clarissa (Partridge) Jeffords. 
He was reared on his father's farm, attending 
school winters; and when less than 17 years old, 
Aug. 21, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Battery M, 
First N. Y. Light .Art. He served until June 23, 




1865. Besides skirmishes, he fought in about 15 
regular engagements, among them being Chancellors- 
ville, Antietam and Gettysburg. In the fall of 1863 
he was transferred to the Southwestern Army, and 
fought at Lookout Mountain, Resaca, Peach-tree 
Creek, Atlanta, Savannah and other places with 
Sherman's army. He was taken prisoner at Fayette- 
ville, N. C, and sent to the Libby at Richmond, Va. 
Thence, after 30 days, he was paroled, and he then 
went home on t,o days' furlough. Rejoining his 
battery at Washington, he was soon after discharged 
at Rochester, N. Y. 

Returning home, he engaged in farming. He was 
married in Porter Township, Niagara Co., N. Y., Nov. 
5, 1866, to Miss Stella L. Baker, daughter of Warren 
and Rosalinda Baker. Of this marriage three chil- 
dren were born, in Porter Township, — Rosa E., Sept. 
2, 1867; Sarah, Oct. 5, 1870; and Helen C. 

Mr. J. had a fine farm of 60 acres, highly improved, 
in Niagara County, which he sold for $100 per acre. 
In November, 1879,116 came to Mt. Pleasant and 
entered upon his present business, in company with 
C. C. Whitney. They have recently built a new mill, 
60 X 60 feet, two stories and a basement, on Mill 
Street, at the foot of Michigan Street. They employ 
usually about 15 men, and in the building season 
they employ from 12 to 15 more, they being exten- 
sively engaged in contracting and building. They 
have a large yard at their mill, and do both a whole- 
sale and retail business. Their mill has a capacity 
for finishing 50,000 feet of lumber per day. 



heodore A. Tombs, farmer, section 16, 

Coldwatcr Township, was born May 12, 

'"'' 1848, in Kendall Co., 111., and is a son of 

Martin A. and Mary (Thomas) Tombs. (See 

sketch of Martin A. Tombs.) 

Mr. Tombs remained under the guidance of 
his father until he was of age. The family had 
settled in Coldwater Township in 1868, and on at- 
taining his majority he bought 160 acres of school 
land on section 16, in which he has since resided as 
a farmer. In political faith he is a Republican and 
has been Highway Commissioner one term. He is 
now Director of hirs school district. 
Mr. Tombs was married March 




V^ 



1S70, to Jennie 






Sly 



c 



I 



--^ 



^ ^ (^^ <--ii!i:->:nii>>^ 



-^^€S^ 



^^^".3 



||k/^®^€^#- 



>^^ia7-'-Sr 



>: 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 






) 



^1^ A., daugliter of Daniel and Alniira A. (Munson) Ride- 
nour. She was born Oct. 12, 1852, in Brighton 

• /» Township, Clinton Co., Mich. Ada Almira, born 
'' Sept. 17, 1873, and Minnie Alta, born March 22, 
^ 1878, are the children now included in the family 
circle. 

ffp^^eter Gruber, farmer at Salt River, Coe 
5 E^'^ -; Township, is a son of John and Catherine 



'^ 






m 



A-^j and was born in Northampton Co., Pa., Dec. 
')i^ '^' '^'^- ^^ followed farming in that county 
1 till the spring of 1867, when he came to Isa- 
bella County and bought 160 acres in Coe Township. 
He has since disposed of 40 acres, and has now 
about 45 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Clarion Co., Pa., June 27, 183S, 
to Lydia Machnay, and has had five children, Cathe- 
rine, John E., Fietta, Mary E. and Jacob M. Mrs. 
G. died March 11, 1853. 

Politically, Mr. Gruber is a Democrat. 




-fe-^ 



^ 



-5— 



ft;ames Swindlehurst, farmer, section 26, 
'J^^Si!',- Isabella Township, is a native of Canada, 
li :3 ■" where, hi Peterborough Co., Ont., he was 
%^ born July 10, 1851. He lived on the paren- 
^r tal homestead, assisting in the maintenance of 
\ the family and attending the common schools, 
until he reached the age of manhood, in 1872. On 
arriving at that age, Mr. S. came to this State and 
located at Evart, Osceola Co., where he remained 
for a short time, and then came to this county. He 
purchased 80 acres of unimproved land in Isabella 
Township, on section 26, and entered on the labo- 
rious though pleasant task of improving the same. 
His purchase consisted all of wild land, and yet so 
strong was his faith in the future development of the 
c;ounty, that he threw all his energy into the work of 
clearing and imjiroving his land and establishing a 
home for self and family, and now has 60 acres of his 
farm in a good state of cultivation. His neat resi- 
dence was built in 1876, and his commodious barn 
was erected in 1874. 

Mr. Swindlehurst was united in marriage, June, 7, 



t 



g*<j?»- 



■^«^ 



1877, to Miss Hester A., daughter of Henry and 
Bellmira (Manning) Yuger, natives of Ontario, Can., 
where, in Middlesex County, Hester was born July 
8, i860. When 17 years of age, she came to this 
county and he resided until her marriage. 

The husband and wife are the parents of four 
children, namely: Alice B., born April 5, 1879; 
Thomas, Aug. 25, 1880; James, Jan. 29, 1882, and 
William, Nov. 9, 1883. Politically, Mr. S. is a Re- 
publican and he and wife both incline toward the 
doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



-fcj;( «N?jharIes K. Mitchell, farmer, section 11, 

^'i'l ite^ Nottawa Township, is a son of Charles K. 

•^'^i^ and Harriet W. {lu-c Peabody) Mitchell, the 

fill? former a native of Massachusetts, and the 

r latter of New Hampshire. The father died 

Sept. 12, 1869, and the mother is still living, in 

Montcalm County, this State. 

The subject of our biography was born in Merri- 
mac, Hillsborough Co., N. H., Sept. 22, 1832. He 
lived under the parental roof-tree, assisting in the 
maintenance of the family until he attained the age 
of 18 years, when he went forth amid the trials and 
troubles of life to battle against vicissitude alone. 
He first went to Lorain Co., Ohio, where he remained 
two years, and then removed to Monroe County, this 
State. He remained in the latter county about six 
months, and then went to Ionia, Ionia County, at 
which place he was variously occupied for about one 
year. He then removed to Montcalm County, where 
he followed farming and lumbering until 1861. He 
was for a short time in Monroe Co., Mich., and then 
went to Wood Co., Ohio, where he enlisted in the 
United States service the following year. He re- 
turned to Monroe County after his military service, 
and managed a store for six months. Removing to 
Lucas Co., Ohio, he was similarly engaged for two 
years. He lived the next four years in Montcalm 
County; then a little over four years in Iowa; and 
Feb. 13, 1 87 8, he located where since has been his 
home. 

Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage Sept. 22, 
1858, near Greenville, Montcalm County, with Miss 
Pamelia, daughter of Shubael and Clara (Hills) 
Conant, both natives of Connecticut. The former is 



^ 






(■I 



$>: 






^ 



I 




466 



ISABELLA 



m 

if 

^ living in Montcalm County, this State, five miles 
&) from Greenville, and the mother died Sept. 17, 1880. 
•-> Mrs. Mitchell was born Jan. i, 1838, and is the 
T mother of five children born to her husband, as fol- 
(^ lows: Charles S., March 21, 1861 ; Clara E., Nov. 4, 
1866; George C, Sept. 14, 1869; Letta A., April 29, 
1878; Willie A., July 4, 1880. 

Mr. Mitchell was a soldier in the late war, enlist- 
ing Aug. 2, 1862, at Tontogany, Wood Co., Ohio, in 
the 1 8th U. S. Inf., and served for two years, seven 
months and seven days. He participated in the 
battles in which Gen. Sherman's army engaged dur- 
ing its march from Chattanooga to Atlanta. He was 
in Gen. Thomas' corps, and at the battle of Altanta, 
Ga., Aug. 7, 1864, was wounded in the arm by a 
shell, that broke the bone and necessitated the ampu- 
tation of the arm, which was done on the 15 th of the 
same month the battle was fought. He received his 
~) discharge March 9, 1865, in consequence of his dis- 
ability. 
/7S Mr. Mitchell has a fine farm of 120 acres on sec- 
i=i tion II, Nottawa Township, 40 acres of which arc 
»>* well improved. Politically, he is an adherent of the 
=3 principles of the Democratic party, and lias held the 
•'\- office of School Director of his district. 



COUNTY. 




-<i= 



-Lj 



_i__A- 



SS- 



ill ev. James J. McCarthy, resident Priest of 
the Parish of St. Charles, at Mt. Pleasant, 
i\^^ was born Dec. 28, 1854, at Pittsburg, Pa., and 
' *o is the son of John and Rese (Tracey) Mc- 
Carthy. He was educated in the common 
schools until he was 16 years old, when he 
was placed at St. Michael's Seminary, near Pittsburg, 
to begin his preparation for the priesthood. He 
studied there six years, and went thence to St. Vin- 
cent's Seminary, in Westmoreland Co., Pa., where he 
was a student tliree years. He received tonsure and 
minor orders, also sub-deaconship from the Bishop at 
^^ " the cathedral in Pittsburg, and afterwards was or- 
4 dained deacon, and received priest's orders at Sand- 
^F wich College, Ontario. 

fv In September, 1879, he came to Mt. Pleasant to 

^ assume charge of the parish in which he has since 

\^ officiated, including now about 150 families. He is 

r the first permanent priest established over the Church 




at this point, and his field of labors extends over a 
considerable territory, including a Church in Seville, 
Gratiot County, comprising about 50 families, a mis- 
sion at St. Louis of 25 families, one in Nottawa 
Township, of 45 families, and a station in the town- 
ship of Vernon, where the membership comprises 
about 40 families. At Mt. Pleasant, Nottawa and 
St. Louis there are fine church edifices. That in 
Nottawa was erected in the summer of 1883, and 
that at St. Louis was purchased in the same season. 
The multifarious labors of Father McCarthy crowd 
his time and make heavy draught upon his strength 
and endurance, while his charges are rapidly growing 
in membership, especially at Mt. Pleasant, where the 
building of a fine, large brick church is contemplated. 



artin M. Ryerson, farmer, section 24, 
Coldwater Township, was born May 5, 
1833, in Sussex Co., N. J., and is the son 
*-\ of Peter and Elizabeth (Farber) Ryerson. 
His parents were natives of the same State, and 
there they spent their lives. The mother died 
in 1847, and the father married again three years 
later. 

Mr. Ryerson was under the care and guidance of 
his father until he was 17 years of age, when he went 
to learn the carpenter's trade with his brother. The 
latter removed in 1850 to Huron Co., Ohio, accom- 
panied by his brother, George. He completed his 
apprenticeship, and just previous to his attaining the 
age of 21 years, he began the pursuit of his trade in 
his own behalf, which he followed until the outbreak 
of the rebellion. The issues of the contest engaged 
his interest, and awakened his patriotism, and he re- 
solved to enroll himself among the defenders of his 
country's flag. He enlisted July 2, 1863, in Co. H, 
88th Ohio Inf., and was mustered out July 3, 1865. 
The command was assigned to the department of the 
Ohio in the Western Army, the regimental head- 
i|uarters being at Columbus and Cincinnati, where it 
was on provost and guard duty during the entire 
period of Mr. Ryerson 's service. 

In October, after receiving his discharge, he came 
to Lenawee Co., Mich., where he purchased 40 acres 
of land jialf a mile from the village of Addison, where 
he worked two years at his trade and carried on agri- 



v9 






c-o: 






V 

^ 



c 







TflA'cy^ ^/^//fe^ 



:^|^- 



-^^^^ eVC>Illl>^OIlf>^ 



■:2S(s^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



:% 



(^ 






>^ 



V 



^ 



culture. In 1867 he came to Coldwater Township, 
where he established a homestead claim of 80 acres 
on section 26. He remained about seven years on 
that property, sold out and purchased 80 acres on 
section 30, Gilmore, which is now the property of Mr. 
Brubaker, to whom he sold the place a year later. 
He then rented a farm of his son-in-law, which he 
managed two years. In 1878 he rented 80 acres of 
land on section 24, Coldwater, leasing the same for 
five years. At the expiration of four years, in the 
^ fall of 1882, he bought the place, of which 35 acres 
-^ are now improved. He served as Township Treas- 
~ urer three terms from the organization of the town- 
ship. 

Mr. Ryerson was married Dec. 21, 1852, to Har- 
riet Isabella Vantine. She was born July 17, 1834, 
in Huron Co., Ohio, and is the daughter of Charles 
and Mindwell (Hurlbert) Vantine. Her mother died 
Oct. 22, 1867, in Lenawee Co., Mich. Five of the 
children born of the marriage of Mr. Ryerson are 
living; five are deceased. The following is their 
record: Ann Elizabeth, born May 9, 1854, married 
Hanford Roberts, Sept. 4, 1872, and died Sept. 2, 
1877; Charles Melville, born Sept. 24, 1855, died 
March 10, 1859; Mina Isabella, born Jan. 10, 1858, 
died Sept. 13, 1861; Frances Jane, born Oct. 11, 
1859, married Sylvester Hammond March 6, 1876; 
Elsie May, born July 4, 1861, married Andrew Hill, 
Nov. 30, 1879; Florence A., born May 3, 1863, mar- 
ried Charles E. Wilcox, July 14, 1880; Mary Belle, 
born June 18, 1866, died Feb. 12, 1867; Willie A., 
born Jan. 2, 1868, died July 15, 1875; Milo Elmer, 
May 13, 1870; Clara Helen, July 6, 1872. 






'(^d flli^ illiam T. Whitney, of the firm of Russell 
& Whitney, at Mt. Pleasant, and County 
Su[)erintendent of the Poor, was born Dec. 
17, 1838, in Hopewell Township, Ontario 
Co., N. Y. He is a son of Benjamin and 
I ' Caroline (Hall) Whitney, who were born re- 
spectively in Vermont and New York. His father 
was a blacksmith by trade, and later in life became 
a farmer, which calling he pursued until his death, 
which occurred in the State of New York. The 
mother resides at Salt River in Isabella County. 
Mr. Whitney was brouglit up on his father's farm. 





rr^, 



:^$>i:€^^ 



-^<^D!i:^: 



and in 1858 he and his uncle, John F. Hall, bought 
a saw-mill in Middlesex, Yates Co., N. Y. After 
continuing the management of this two years, they 
sold out and Mr. Whitney went to Mason Co., 111., 
where he operated six months as a farm assistant. 
Afterwards he went to Cambria Township, Hillsdale 
Co., Mich., and engaged as a builder until the second 
call for troops in the war of the Rebellion. He en- 
listed Aug. 6, 1862, in Co. D, i8th Mich Vol. Inf., 
Capt. C. B. Van Valer. Mr. Whitney served with 
his regiment in all the service for which it was de- 
tailed and was iii action in several skirmishes. He 
was in the detachment which left Decatur Sept. 24, 
1864, to reinforce the garrison at Athens. The com- 
mand included 231 officers and men. When within 
two miles of Athens they were attacked by a reiiel 
force under Gen. Forrest, and, after five hours' des- 
perate fighting and pushing toward the fortifications at 
Athens, they surrendered, as the fort was in the pos- 
session of the rebels. A few of the command escaped, 
the remainder were captured, killed or wounded. 
Mr. Whitney was among the latter and received four 
gunshot wounds, — in his right leg, abdomen, right 
fore-arm and left lower leg. He was wholly disabled 
and was finally discharged from Harper's Hospital, 
Detroit, May 2, 1865, when he returned to Hillsdale 
County. 

In the spring of 1866 Mr. Whitney came to Mt. 
Pleasant, where, in company with his brother, C. C. 
Whitney, he engaged as a builder until 1870. After 
that date he was variously occupied. He was the 
proprietor of the Whitney Exchange Hotel in 1882-3 
and has since operated in insurance and other light 
business. In January, 1884, he formed his present 
association with F. Russell, and the firm are trans- 
acting insurance business. Mr. Whitney has never 
recovered from the severity of his injuries received 
in his country's service. Besides the duties of his 
official trust as Superintendent of the Poor, he his 
discharging the obligations of the offices of Secre- 
tary of the Village Hoard, Village Clerk, and Clerk of 
Union Township. He was Township Treasurer in 
1879-80. He is a member of Lodge No. 217,1. O. 
O. F., at Mt. Pleasant, and belongs to Wabon 
Lodge, No. 305, Chapter No. iii,R. A. M., and 
member of Wabon Post, No. 250, G. \. R. 

Tlie marriage of Mr. Wiiitney wiili Selinda M. 
Fry occurred Sept. 2, 185S, at Farmington, Ontario 



V^ 



r 



1=3 



4 



fo^- 



^ 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



t 



Co., N. Y. She was born Jan. 17, 1841, in Allegany 
Co., N. Y., and is a daughter of Obadiah and Luna 
Fry. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. 
Whitney, three of whom are deceased — Isabel, Hiram 
B. and Walter. William B. is a printer in Coburg, 
Can. Irving E. and Walhice remain with tlieir par- 
eiits. 

The portrait of Mr. U'liitney is presented on 
another page. It will prove a substantial addition to 
the collection of portraits of representative men in 
Isabella County. 




:>J 



V 



r^ 



zra P. Plowman, farmer on section 32, Coe 
^^jij Township, is a son of William T. and 
Mary A. (Potts) Plowman, natives of the 
^|§. State of New York, and was born in Oakland 
Co., Mich., Oct. 15, 1834. At the age of seven, 
he went with his parents to Clinton County, 
where he developed into manhood, securing a limited 
English education. 

In the fall of 1S54 he came to this county and 
bought 160 acres in Coe Township, where he now re- 
sides. He has since sold 40 acres, and of the re- 
mainder 90 acres are under cultivation. 

He was married in Gratiot County, March 3, 1857, 
to Barbara L., daughter of Joseph and Martha (Mc- 
Kee) Brady, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. P. was 
born in Wyandot Co., Ohio, May 20, 1840, and 
came to this county with her parents in 1855. Hav- 
ing no family of their own, Mr. and Mrs. Plowman 
have cared for and reared three children,— William 
Small, Salem V.. Richardson and Louisa M. Gifford. 
Mr. P. has held the office of Highway Commissioner 
several terms. Politically, he is independent, but he 
generally supports the Rei)ulilican party. 



|Fk'jJ ||b illiam H. Gaumer, farmer, section 22, 
4^^^^ Coldwater Township, was born May 15, 
m'SSr' '^5°' "'' ^'''^ State of Pennsylvania, county of 
Lehigh. His parents, Isaac and Mary D. 
(Mctz) Gaumer, were born respectively in Penn- 
sylvania and New Jersey. They came to Mich- 
igan in April, 1855, and settled in Oakland County, 



where the father was a renter until 1865, when he 
removed his family and interests to St. John's, Clin- 
ton Co., Mich., and rented farms in that vicinity 
until 1869. 

In that year, Mr. Gaumer came to Isabella County 
and entered a homestead claim of 80 acres in the 
township of Coldwater, which he made his residence 
and lived upon about six years, when he exchanged 
farms with his father, who owned 80 acres on section 
22. On this he resided about eight years, when he 
sold out and about a year afterward he bought 18 
acres on section 22, where he has since lived. In 
the year 1877, Mr. Gaumer went to Denver, setting 
out on the first day of January. He returned July 
28, 1877, and, during his absence, was engaged in 
carpentry at Ballarat and Jamestown, excepting a 
few days, when he was employed in the Smuggler 
mine at Ballarat. 

Mr. Gaumer was married June 19, 1873, to So- 
phronia A., daughter of William F. and Lozina 
(Decker) Baker. She was born Aug. 30, 1853. Four 
children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gaumer, 
as follows: Edna A., Sept. 7, 1875; Mattie S., May 
3, 1877 (died Feb. 21, 1883); Charles E., March 18, 
1880; William T., Sept. 30, 1883. 

Mr. Gaumer is a Republican in political faith. His 
father died April 13, 1879, in Coldwater Township, 
and his mother resides with her daughter, Mrs. Jesse 
E. Forbes. 



'ames Tubbs, proprietor of the Loomis 
House, at IvOomis (Wise Township), was 
born in Chemung Co., N. Y., March 22, 
181 2. His parents, Lebbeus and Hannah 
(Matthews) Tubbs, were natives of Orange Co., 
N. Y. After their marriage they settled in 
Chemung Co., N. Y., where they passed the remain- 
ing portion of their lives. The father died July 29, 
1843; the mother died about 1853. 

Mr. Tubbs has been an agriculturist during the 
greater part of his active life. He was a resident of 
his native county until he was 32 years of age. In 
May, 1S44, he settled in Oakland Co., Midi., where he 
rented different farms for a period of four years, after 
which he removed to Genesee Co., Mich., and set- 
tled upon 160 acres of wild land. He spent 16 years 



I 




<^ 



A 



^< 






c 






<' 



K>^- 



-*?>-♦•?•*-■ 



il 



•7<^llll^llllv> 



"TTT- 



V 



"i' 



>: 



V 

> 



-^ 



i 

•J 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"Z^^^ 



in its improvement, and at the end of that time sold 
out and made another transfer to Oakland County. 
He bought 240 acres of land in the township of 
Highland, and resided thereon until the spring of 
1869, when he again disposed of his property and 
removed to Fentonville, Genesee Co., Mich. He was 
in impaired health, and he spent one year in that 
village in comparative idleness to regain health and 
strength. In the spring of 1871, he purchased a 
hotel in Holly, Oakland County, which he retained 
and managed nearly two years. He again sold out, 
and in the fall of 1873 he came to Isabella County 
and became the proprietor of the hotel which he is 
now conducting, and which is the most prominent 
public house in Looniis. In regard to national affairs, 
he is a Democrat, and cast his first Presidential vote 
for Andrew Jackson. 

Mr. Tubbs was first married in his native county, 
in December, 1833, to Charlotte Bailey, a native of 
the same county. She bore him four children — 
Robert B , Melinda, Fletcher and Alice G. The 
second named died when she was 24 years old. The 
mother died A])ril 17, 1865, in Oakland County. Mr. 
Tubbs was again married, in the last named county, 
Aug. 8, 1866, to Jeannette Maxwell. She was born 
Jan. ri, 1834, of Scotch ancestry. Mrs. Tubbs is a 
lady of more than ordinary educational attainments, 
and was a successful and popular teacher of Oakland 
County, where she taught 17 terms of school. 



^f K3.^-,harles T. Russell, Prosecuting Attorney of 
t)l|^a|i^ Isabella County, was born May 17, 1853, 
ilj^"^ in Grand Ledge, Eaton Co., Mich. John 
wfe W. Russell, his father, was born Aug. 24, 181 9, 
y^ in Oneida Co., N. Y., of English ancestry. He 
\ was married in 1 841, to Sophronia L. Camp- 
bell, a native of Canandaigua Co., N. Y., where she 
was born in 1820, of Scotch [larenlage. Their fam- 
ily included seven sons, two of whom became soldiers 
for the Union. Edwin O. and James Franklin, the 
two eldest, enlisted in the Seventh Mich. Cav. The 
latter died May 10, 1865, of disease contracted in 
the army. He was 19 years old, and passed througli 
much arduous service under Gen. Sheridan in the 
valley of the Shenandoah and elsewhere. John VV. 
Russell was, in point of fact, the founder of Grand 
Ledge, where he settled about the year 1844. Among 




his first acts was the erection of a saw-mill, and he 
built the first dam across Grand River. He has 
always been a man of activity and enterprise, and 
identified with the progress of the place. He owns 
a valuable estate of 280 acres near Grand Ledge, 
where he resides; and he is 66 years old. Calvin C, 
Oliver E., J. Newton and Fred are the names of his 
other sons. 

Mr. C. T. Russell is the sixth son of his par- 
ents. He was a student in the district scliools, and 
afterwards studied at the High School in Grand 
Ledge. He decided on the profession of law for his 
vocation in life, and on leaving school he engaged in 
teaching winters and reading law summers. He 
passed three years in this manner, and was admitted 
to practice in the State Courts of Michigan, at Char- 
lotte, Eaton County, Oct. 15, 1877. He came to Mt. 
Pleasant, where he opened his office for practice, 
April 25, 1878. 

He has met with gratifying success, and has at- 
tained some notoriety through his connection with y^ 
noted cases, among which was the trial of Joseph ^'• 
Bucher, at Harrison, Clare County, for murder, in 
which case he was associated with H. H. Graves. 

The following journalistic comments on the man- 
agement and outcome of this celebrated trial, will 
present a better exhibit of the forensic abilities of 
Mr. Russell than later records can do, as they were 
cotemporary and the public interest in the case was 
at the time intense. 

The Mt. Pleasant Tribune said : " Chas. T. Rus- 
sell, as counsel for the defense in the case of People 
vs. Bucher, made one of the most eloquent argu- 
ments to which we have ever listened. He is a law- 
yer of rare promise, and we predict for him a brilliant 
future." 

Saginaw Courier : " Mr. Charles Russell, one of the 
defendant's counsel, argued the law points lo Judge 
Hart, in which he showed great fiimiliarity with his 
subject. His brief was very exhaustive, exhibiting 
extensive research among voluminous legal matter. 
If the defendant is not acquitted, it will not be the 
fault of his counsel, who have not left a stone un- 
turned that would work to the defendant's benefit. 
Mr. Russell is a young man, and though not long in 
practice, is fast climbing to the top round of the lad- 
of the Bar of Isabella County." 

Other notes: "They secured for their client a dis- 



(^ 



§>: 



V) 



t 






^<f^^ 



.^^i^^ 



m 



>^ 



£^ 



•.r'?<^yr^ 



-^s^:^^ 



■# 



#t^f1^ 



472 



(Oj 






:^ 



> 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(J^ 



agreementof the jury, and he was never convicted." 
Mr. Russell's argument to the jury was a striking 
exhibit of his character as a man. His position was 
that of a defender of the general principle of human 
rights, and that every accused person is presumably 
innocent until conclusively proved guilty; and he 
argued with distinguished ability on the essentials 
to crime and the necessity of integrity in the evi- 
dence where so great a iiuestion as human liberty is 
involved. 

In 1880, Mr. Russell was appointed Village Attor- 
ney, and in 1881 accepted the position of Village 
President. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney 
on the Democratic ticket by a majority of 267 votes, 
— a most flattering result, as the district is strongly 
Republican. The vote on the village ticket of Mt. 
Pleasant was Republican, and Mr. Russell was the 
only successful nominee on the Democratic ticket. 
He has been the incumbent of numerous minor 
official' positions. He is a member of the Order of 
Odd Fellows at Mt. Pleasant. 

The marriage of Mr. Russell to Nettie M. White 
occurred March 22, 1882, at Burlington, Vt. She was 
born at Duxbury, Vt., March 8, 1853, and is a 
daughter of Walter H. and Lestina White. One 
child— Ruby — was born to Mr. and Mrs. Russell, 
Feb. 10, 1883. Mr. White was born in Vermont, 
March 8, 1823, and has been a prominent farmer 
and active politician of Chittenden County many 
years. He was a member of the Assembly of the 
Green Mountain State in the years 1878-9. His 
wife was born in Duxbury, Vt., March 31, 1S33. 



Cerritt Leonard (deceased), farmer on 
section 22, Coc Township, was born in 
"'T^ Greene Co., Pa., Aug. 21, 181 8, and was 
ij^'\\X^ the son of Lot and Elizabeth Leonard, na- 
tives of Pennsylvania. He practiced his pro- 
fession (medicine) in the Keystone State until 
December, 1869, when he came with his family to 
Isabella County and bought 120 acres in Coe Town- 
ship, on which he resided until his death, which oc- 
curred Jan. 18, 1871. 

He was married in Washington Co., Pa., May i, 
185 1, to Jane, daughter of William and Martha 





(Clark) Dickerson, natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. 
L. was born in Washington, Pa., May 25, 1826. To 
this marriage six children were born, four of whom 
survive: William D., Orlando A., Leroy B. and 
Lizzie M. Lot L. and an infant are deceased. 







«v 



V 



Ibert A. Shaver, dealer in furniture, under- 
[ taker, and Treasurer of Clare County, re- 

^ sides at Clare, near the Isabella County line. 
'•jiaT He was born in Steuben Co., N. Y., Sept. 17, 
if 1840, the sou of Lewis and Sarah (Chapman) 
' Shaver, natives of New England and of Eng- 
lish-German descent. The father died in Gratiot 
County, this State, in 1879; the mother resides with 
Mr. Shaver at Clare. 

The subject of this sketch came with his parents 
to Emerson Township, Gratiot Co., Mich., in 1856, 
and lived there until Sept. 13, 1862. On that date 
he enlisted in Co. D, 26th Mich. Vol. Inf , and his 
command was assigned to the Army of the Potomac, 
under Gen. Hancock. On the last day's fight in the 
Wilderness he was wounded in the left hip by a 
minie-ball. He also fought at Petersburg and on 
the South-Side Railroad, of Virginia, where he was C ' 
again wounded, a bullet passing through the liver 
and kidney. At the time he received this second 
wound he was color-bearer of his regiment. From 
these two injuries he was in hospital 13 months. 
He was discharged July 24, 1865, after an honorable 
service of about three years. 

Returning to Gratiot County, he lived at home two 
years, during which time he was married to Ellen 
Muscott, a native of Gratiot County, where she was 
born April 9, 1849. After marriage, he resided on a 
farm in Gratiot County until 187 i, when he came to 
Clare. Here he worked at carpentry, which trade 
he had learned after leaving the army. He built the 
first house in Clare, camping out under a large elm 
tree while at work on the same. In August, 1879, 
he entered upon his present business with a stock of 
ii!ii,2oo, which is now increased to $5,000. He does 
an annual business of $6,000. 

Mr. S. is Trustee of the Congregational Church, 
of which he and wife are active members. He has 



<P 



m:^ 



^2!if/\%^Lm 



^ 



<^l 



H'> 



A-c^ 



JSs^'^^ 




tyst:2 





^cJ, 




U^ 




T2^<Jrvi 



T<<^ 



-^:. 



h>'v 



"^■Xi^C 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






*^5 



;^ 



-S 



V 



been School Assessor, and for six years Treasurer. 
In 1879 he was Supervisor, and the following year 
he was elected County Treasurer, which office he 
now holds. In politics, he is a staunch Republican. 

WfnW i^li^'^ ^- Brown, attorney, banker, and 
M l^Jq i lumberman, residing at Mt. Pleasant, was 
J^^r^ born in the city of New York, June 24, 
JJ$^^ 1849. His parents, James and Sarah (Wales) 
"I3J' Brown, belong to the race known and com- 
l, prehended distinctively as Scotch-Irish. The 
father was connected with lumbering interests in the 
metropolis of the Empire State, and about the year 
1852 removed his family and interests to Zilwaukee, 
Saginaw Co., Mich. Two years later they went to a 
farm in Richland Township, where the family now 
reside. 

Mr. Brown's mother is one of that class of women 
whom no pen can adequately portray ; to whom 
motlierhood brings a sense of responsibility which 
can never be obliterated; whose duties can never be 
wholly discharged while life continues, and whose 
best praise is that " her children arise up and call 
her blessed." Reverses might hamper choice in the 
method of the training of her sons in such a mother, 
but her purpose to guide them in proper avenues 
could be affected by no circumstances, and she 
molded them from their earliest years by her quiet 
but inflexible personal influence. She felt that, in 
this country, the empire of mind must be the only 
object worthy of aspiration, and she sacrificed every- 
thing to obtain for her children the opportunities and 
advantages she herself was powerless to supply. 

The son, who is the subject of this sketch, was, 
even in his early boyhood, a boy with a purpose. 
Although so young, he had developed an eager taste 
for knowledge which to the observant, vigilant moth- 
er seemed certain to lead him to the results she so 
earnestly desired for him ; and when the family left 
Saginaw he became the protege of the Hon. Aniasa 
Rust, of Saginaw, from whom and his family he re- 
ceived the kindest aid and encouragement. He paid 
his way by manual labor in the intervals of school, 
and made marked progress. He obtained odd jobs 
of employment and saved his earnings until he ac- 
quired a sufficient sum to defray his expenses while 




attending the High School in the city of Saginaw, 
where he was a pupil one year, during which he 
mastered every branch of study taught in the school 
and passed a most creditable examination before he 
had attained the age of i 2 years. 

Young as he was, his active mind had been thor- 
oughly aroused by the events which preceded the ad- 
vent of civil war ; and when matters culminated in 
the assault on Fort Sumter he sought with eagerness 
an avenue where he could e.xert his small strength 
and effort in behalf of the Republic. He became a 
drummer boy and continued to serve in that capacity 
throughout the entire course of the contest. He en- 
rolled Oct. 16, 1861, in Saginaw City, in Co. B, Mich. 
Vol. Inf , under Capt. Charles H. Richmond. He 
was under fire through most of the prominent en- 
gagements in whicli his regiment was involved. 

Perhaps the most remarkable fact in the career of 
Mr. Brown was the indomitable purpose of his boy- 
hood, to which he adhered without change or shadow 
of turning. The incidents and events of camp life, 
filled with thrilling novelty and calculated to interest 
and absorb a keen, ambitious mind, never caused 
him to waver in the pursuit of knowledge, to which 
he devoted every leisure moment and which instiga- 
ted in him a frugality which resulted in the saving of 
every dollar of his earnings. At the termination of 
the war he had accumulated sufficient money to en- 
able him to obtain a university education, to which 
he had looked forward as the acme of his youthful 
ambitions and aspirations. He matriculated at an 
educational institution at Rochester and was gradu- 
ated there with all the honors for which he had so 
assiduously labored and so laudably craved with all 
the desire of a strong, young soul, full of the aspira- 
tions of a noble nature, guided by a judgment and 
firmness of character which would have graced men 
of maturity and experience. His constant and unre- 
mitting efforts resulted in the temporary loss of his 
sight, and he came back to Detroit in darkness, under 
the care of a personal friend. Rest and the best 
medical skill proved effective, and one of his first 
efforts after his recovery consisted in making an ex- 
tended tour through the northern portion of Mich- 
igan, in company with the friend and patron of his 
boyhood. The route included Isabella County, then 
in an unbroken state of nature, which he traversed 
and observed with interest without even an intuition 



V' 



i 



c< 









^. 



^\&t^^Si 



■e^^e^ 



i^nD>>^- 






f^^^^ 




^ 476 

I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(b 






?^^ 



> 






{^ 



i 



that it would constitute the scene of the efforts of his 
later years. 

On his return to Saginaw he entered the employ of 
the Hon. D. H. Jerome as book-keeper, a position 
which he filled with such marked ability and integrity 
as to secure the entire respect and confidence of the 
distinguished gentleman in whose interests he acted. 
He refused a liberal offer for further services in a 
position of advancement to attend the University of 
Michigan at Ann Arbor. He had lost a large pro- 
portion of the money he had saved for his education, 
through the misfortunes of a friend to whom he had 
made a temporary loan; but, instead of yielding to 
the weight of the disaster, he found in it only the in- 
centive to greater effort. He endured absolute pen- 
ury during his collegiate course, and through the 
closing days subsisted on the most meager fare. He 
was graduated with honor and soon after entered the 
office of the Attorney General of Michigan, the Hon. 
Dwight May, at Kalamazoo, being specially recom- 
mended by the University faculty for the [wsition. 
The quality of his services may be readily estimated 
by the fact that he was soon entrusted with the most 
important business pertaining to the office, even to 
the preparation and argument of State cases in the 
Supreme Court, and that he received special official 
commendation from the Attorney General. 

On the termination of his connection with the 
office of the Attorney General, Mr. Brown returned 
to Saginaw and began his career as an attorney, de- 
voting himself especially to a class of cases for which 
his character and peculiar abilities eminently fitted 
him, and of which the state of affairs in Isabella 
County were in extreme need. The interests of the 
non-resident land-holders were in the utinost peril 
from the manipulations of a variety of rascals, whom 
Federal institutions seem powerless to eradicate, and 
whose business is the direct outcrop of the mal- 
feasance in office which has left indelible stains 
upon the escutcheon of the Republic. To the honest 
efforts and clear-sightedness of Mr. Brown, is Isa- 
bella County indebted more than to any other one 
individual for the peerless condition of her municipal 
affairs. 

In 1872 he established his legal practice at Mt. 
Pleasant. In 1873 he was compelled by the colossal 
proportions of his office business to divide its labors, 
and he associated with himself John C. Leaton, un- 




der the style of Brown & Leaton, one of the most 
prominent legal relations of this section of Michigan 
and well-known from its connection with imjiortant 
local litigation. 

Mr. Brown has achieved signal success as a busi- 
ness man, and has displayed the same acumen in his 
investments as in his other efforts through life. He 
is the owner of several thousand acres of land rated 
among the most valuable in Isabella County. He 
has made his purchases from some of the most prom- 
inent lumber firms in Northern Michigan and has ac- 
complished substantial results in lumbering opera- 
tions in his own behalf. 

In the local interests of his township, village and 
county, Mr. Brown has been and is an invaluable 
factor. He operates on the basis of a truly wise man, 
who recognizes the fact that the furtherance of gen- 
eral interests pays largest to the promoter, while his 
unselfishness and disinterestedness are unmistakably 
set forth. He has invariably shown himself ready to 
aid substantially in every project that seemed to hold 
a promise for his own or future generations. He has 
never held his lands as a monopolist, but has made 
a practice of offering the most liberal terms to actual 
settlers and affording means of improvement. His 
moral attitude is unblemished, and in his religious 
connections he "is most consistent and tolerant. He 
is a communicant of the Church of England, and one 
of the most substantial testimonials to his liberality 
and genuine Christian purpose is the elegant church 
of the denomination in which he was born and bred 
near his residence at Mt. Pleasant, in the erection 
and equipment of which he and his wife were chiefly 
instrumental. The inside of the beautiful building 
is designed after a model on the estate of the Duke 
of Devonshire, and is very elaborate without the least 
attempt at ostentation.- 

In 1878 the only daughter of Gen. Dwight May 
became the wife of Mr. Brown, and they celebrated 
their marriage by an extended continental tour. 
Mrs. Btown is in every sense the counterpart of her 
husband. Cultured, well-bred, possessed of graces 
and gifts of nature granted to few, she sheds the 
luster of a perfect womanhood over the elegancies of 
the circumstances which surround her. In her social 
relations she is gracious and genial; in her domestic 
life she shines as nowhere else ; and a^ an earnest 
Christian lady solicitous for the well-being of those 



V^ 



A 



C< 



? 



T 
I 



^.^^ 



•K-^D!]>:dd;>^ 



-^^^ 







T2i?^ir^ 






•^m^m^ 



^'^^'•^ 



^^^^(^\^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



477 



, around her, she has no superior and few peers. 
Among other local matters with which her name and 

' influence are inseparably associated is tlie public 
library at Mt. Pleasant, of wliich she was for a long 

» time the chief official. 

The home of Mr. Brown is that of a gentleman of 
cultured taste and unaffected intelligence. Art and 
literature have contributed to its adornment and 
value, and the mementoes of the foreign travels of 
Mr. Brown and his accomplished wife are everywhere 
visible. The collection of pictures is uniijue in this 

I section, in rarity and notoriety ; the private library 
contains a large and choice selection from the best 
authors, and the law library of Mr. Brown is the most 
extensive in Northern Michigan. 

The exact attitude of a man to his generation and his 
influence in the community to which he belongs can 
be justly estimated from the stand-point of no other 
man's prejudice or favor. Opinions differ as educa- 
tion molds mentality, and experience teaches the bio- 
grapher to portray character from the standard of 
motive and achievement. Opportunity may serve 
largely in what one accomplishes, but the underlying 
fact that a greater ability is necessary to the just com- 
prehension and value of op[)ortunity is left out of 
consideration. If a man takes advantage of a chance 
that opens before him, he is comparatively insignifi- 
cant in view of the opportunity being afforded. Ob- 
jects and sound are vain without the complements of 
sight and hearing; but the comparative significance 
is quite apparent, and the scope of the one unlimited 
while the other is in a sense but the result of acci- 
dent. The responsibility lies with those who fail to 
take advantage of the tide and move on to disaster, 
while they who accept the flow at the opportune mo- 
ment, win its advantages and seem but the children 
of prosperity. The fact that others fail, in no sense 
detracts from the merits of those who win. The re- 
lations of Mr. Brown to Isabella County are such as 
to render him prominent in his generation. His 
benefactions to the community of which he is a mem- 
ber are numberless, and in the majority of them he 
is simply wise and provident. He exercises the ut- 
most discrimination and guides his operations with the 
view of benefiting the greatest possible number. He 
prefers to act untrammeled, and persistently refuses 
office, althougli repeatedly solicited to lend his name 
for positions which in themselves reflect honor upon 
the incumbent. 




-^m^. 



He was nominated Sept. 7, 1882, to represent the 
24th Senatorial District of Michigan, comprising the 
counties of Isabella, Midland, Clare and Gratiot, but 
declined. The election was secure, as the Republi- 
can majority in the district was very large. Jan. i, 
1883, the bank of Brown, Harris & Co., was organ- 
ized, and' the institution has since operated in the 
financial avenues common to similar establishments 
with satisfactory results. Mr. Brown was elected the 
Vice-President and one of the Directors of the 
Lansing, Alma, Mt. Pleasant & Northern Railroad, 
and is a member of its Executive Committee. He 
received election Feb. 5, subsequent to the incorpora- 
tion of the road. The portrait of Mr. Brown appears 
on page 474. 



g^Iijah Moore (deceased), late resident of 
Coe Township, was born in Chautauiiua 
-f^^"^ Co., N. Y., Jan. 27. i8r7, and is a son of 
i!vL Elijah and Jane (Cazar) Moore, natives of Mas- 
'' sachusetts, and of Puritan ancestry. The par- 
J ents were married in the Bay State, and 
journeyed on horseback ficm Massachusetts to 
Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where they lived until their 
death, — he dying Nov. ro, 1840, and she May 26, 
1862. They reared seven children out of nine born 
to them : Rebecca, John, Isaac, Catherine, Elsie, 
Walter, Elijah, Eben and Jane. 

The subject of this record was the fourth son. He 
attended the common schools of his neighborhood 
until n years old, and afterwards attended the acad- 
emy at Mayville, in his native county, until 22 
years old. With this efficient preparation, he taught 
school with gratifying success for eight years at Nor- 
walk, Ohio, three years at Amherst, Ohio, and also 
at other places, — in all 52 terms. He was prominent 
in public affairs when he lived in New York and 
Ohio, and held many offices. He was engaged at 
various times in lecturing, and being possessed of a 
magnetic temperament, he always had complete con- 
trol of his audience. He was the owner of a fine 
farm of 250 acres in Chautauqua County, which he 
sold in February, 1864, and came to Isabella County. 
He first bought 80 acres in what is now Salt River. 
He selected this land with the sole idea of founding 
a village, in which he succeeded. He also owned 



c-o: 









%^^- 



I 



■^ 



(51 






>5 



V 



<^ 



'S^ 



1 60 acres in different parts of the township of Coe. 

He was of a genial, hospitable disixjsition, and, with 
a desire to form the acquaintance of all the new 
comers in the neighborhood, he opened a hotel in a 
log house at Salt River, of the commodious dimen- 
sions of 18 X 20 feet. This was often filled to over- 
flowing with travelers. He afterwards put ui) a 
good house on the corner where a hotel is now kept 
by W. H. Kinter, and had an extensive patronage. 
He kept a strictly temperance house. 

He platted what is now Salt River in September, 
1866. 

He was married in Cliautau(iua Co., N. Y., Sept. 
12, 1839, to Samantha, daughter of Robert and Betsy 
(Crane) Wilkins, natives of Maine. She was born in 
Stockton, Chautauqua Co., N. Y., June 4, 181 9, and 
became the mother of three daughters: Wealthy 
M., Betsey and Alice. The first named is now the 
wife of J. J. Upton, and the other two are deceased. 

Mr. Moore died at Salt River, Dec. 28, 1872, after 
a prosperous and useful life. His wife followed him 
from this world of care May 2, 1880. He was a 
member of the Baptist Church, but was liberal in 
his views. Politically, he was a Democrat. 



"W^i 



• i#^a,' jjQQQjj Q Brown, editor and proprietor of 
the A^orthwestern Tribune, published at 
■ Mt. Pleasant, was born in Clay Township, 
Knox Co., Ohio, May i, 1825. He removed 
with his parents, when he was 12 years old, to 
Marion Co., Ohio, where he resided until 1845. 
During this time he was educated as a physician and 
began the practice of his profession at Locke, Knox 
Co., Ohio, in the year 1845. He removed in 1852 
to Williams County in the Buckeye State, where he 
pursued his chosen vocation until 1864, when he en- 
listed as a soldier in the war for the Union. He was 
in the service but a short time and was mustered out 
Feb. I, 1864, on account of disability. 

In 1867, Mr. Brown was elected Journal Clerk of 
the Ohio House of Representatives. In the following 
year he removed to Gull Prairie, Isabella Co., Mich. 
While a resident there he was elected Justice of the 
Peace and continued to hold the incumbency of the 
position eleven successive years. He has served 
two years as Cirouit-Court C'omniissioner of Isabella 



County, and in 1879 he was elected Clerk of the 
Joint Committee on Taxation of the Legislature of 
Michigan. During the same year he commenced 
the publication of the Northwesfeiti Tribune at Salt 
River, and in March, 1881, he removed his interests 
to Mt. Pleasant, where he is now engaged in prose- 
cuting his journalistic enterprise. 



. (5;U raneis M. Hopkins, farmer, section 3, Deer- 
j<|&H|,?, field Township, is a son of Allen and Deli- 
gp5 ''^ lah (Hodges) Hopkins, natives of the State 
^j^ of New Jersey, who moved to this State and 
■^l'^ settled in Ionia County in 1832, where our sub- 
i ject was born March 24, 1854. 

Francis M. remained under the parental roof-tree, 
assisting his father on the farm and attending the 
common schools until he attained the age of man- 
hood. He then went to Montcalm County and 
remained 14 years, engaged in farming, and then 
returned to Ionia County. In the spring of 1880, Mr. 
H. came to this county and settled on his present 
farm of 50 acres, 35 of which are in a good state of 
cultivation. Mr. Hopkins was united in marriage, 
Aug. 21, 1870, with Barbara, daughter of George and 
Isabella (Dawalt) Myers. The father is deceased 
and the mother is still living, in Steuben Co., Ind. 
Mrs. Hopkins was born in Williams Co.,C)liio, March 
20, 185 1. 

Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins are the parents of six chil- 
dren, all of whom are living, and were born as follows : 
Wm. W., Oct. 24, 1871; Jennie, Nov. i, 1873; Min- 
nie, Aug. 30, 1875 ; Elmer E., Feb. 20, 1878; Mary 
A., Jan. 19, 1881, and Frederick C, May 20, 1883. 

Mr. H. is an esteemed and respected citizen of his 
township, and has held the offices of Township Col- 
lector and Path Master, and several school offices. 



ebster T. Ross, farmer on section 23, Coe 

^ Township, is a son of Wilbur and Rachel 

j|^^ 'n " C^'^O""") K.OSS, natives of the State of New 
S^ York, and was born in Ontario Co., N. Y., 
Nov. 13, 1827. When he was nine years 
old, he removed with his parents to Lenawee 
County, this State. There he lived until 1846, when 
he returned and spent 10 years in Ontario Co., N. Y., 




c 






A 



.< 






c 










& ^^2^wvt^ (^a/'^^u/^ 




^^^ 'C^ 





mSm 






'ic..x..ujy 



■M^r^^^^ :2s€^^ 



.^^i. 



'Ci^p>^:nD^•> 



T 



mABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^5f 



engaged in farming. In the fall of that year he came 
to Hillsdale County, this State, and in tlie fall of 
1863 he came to this county and bought 40 acres on 
section 23, Coe, where he has since resided. He 
^2j has about 24 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. io> 

1850, to Eliza, daughter of James and Mary (Tower) 

Eddy, natives of the State of Vermont. She was 

born in Chili, iVIonroe Co., Mich., May 22, 1831. 

Four children have blessed their marriage : William 

/ VV., Charles A., George E. and Mary E. 

I Mr. Ross has been Township Superintendent of 

a Schools two years. Drain Commissioner two years, 

School Inspector one year. School Assessor one year, 

and School Director 12 years. He is an educational 

man, and has taught school in Isabella, Gratiot and 

Midland Counties 60 months. He is a Freemason, 

and is politically a Republican. 



"VLQSi^(^^r 



>^^%(mi!t\^ 



V 



t 






^JF^^g^dwin Eussell, farmer on section 19, Vernon 
'ij g^Mj lj Township, is a son of Richard and Mary 
5?x^y^''' Ann (Walker) Russell. The parents were 
tic natives of England, emigrated in 1855, and 
I now reside in Simcoe Co., Can. The subject 
j of tliis notice was born in Somersetshire, Eng., 
Jan. 15, 1 841, and lived with his parents until 23 
years old. He came with them to America in 1848, 
landing at New York. He went thence to Quebec, 
and tlien to Toronto. For four years he lived four 
miles from the latter city. He then moved about 100 
miles north of Toronto, to a place called Medonla, 
where he lived 1 1 years. In 1864 he came to Sag- 
inaw, this Slate, where he remained 15 years, engag- 
ed in lumbering and milling. In 1879 he removed to 
Isabella County, where he had purchased liis present 
farm 01573 acres al)out 1868. He has industriously 
cut off the pine and improved for cultivation about 
250 acres. He built a fine house in 1882, and a barn 
in i88t, at a cost of perhaps $7,000. 

He was married June 6, 1873, to Emily Love, 
daughter of Jacob and Anna (Root) Love. The par- 
ents are now residents of Tioga Co., Pa. Mrs. Rus- 
sell was born July 10, 1841, in Lycoming Co., Pa., and 
is the mother of the following three children ; Mary 
Ann, born in Saginaw June 16, 1875; Edwin Lovell, 



born in Saginaw, June 4, 1877; and Joseph Adrian, 
born in Vernon Townsiiip, Oct. 21, 1880. 

Mr. Russell is in political affiliation a Republican. 
He has been Highway Commissioner one year, and 
is a highly esteemed citizen of Vernon Township and 
Isabella County. 

We take great pleasure in presenting the portraits 
of both Mr. and Mrs. Russell in this Ai.iiUM, on pre- 
ceding pages. 




-<-^'4# 



>»— !- 



i 



7it ^ — ''^-rf ^ 

lil |( P fAf'-) arvin D. Richardson, of the firm of F. 
y' rjJl'^ &J A. Stebbins & Co., proprietors of the Ben- 
|'1|^'''~' nett House, Mt. Pleasant, is the son of 
^WA>^ Elias and Lucinda (Doud) Richardson, and 
• "•• was born m Royalton, Fulton Co., Ohio, June 
I.I, 1838. Elias Richardson was born July 3, 
1821, in Royalton, Niagara Co., N. Y. In 1836, in 
company with five brothers and two brothers-in-law, 
— Thomas, Butler, Hiram, Elisha and Martin Rich- 
ardson, and George Welsh and A. H. Henderson, — 
he came to Ohio. They left Niagara County and 
came to the city of Detroit by water. They set out 
thence for Lucas Co., Ohio, where they settled, each 
one entering a claim of 160 acres of land. They 
established a township, which they named Royalton, 
in memory of that they left, and which is now in 
Fulton County, then attached to Lucas County. 
Hiram Richardson is the only one of the brothers 
who is deceased, and all are living on the land of 
which they were the original proprietors. 

The father of Mr. Richardson is the third son and 
fourth ciiild of his parents. His wife is a native of 
the village of Cortland, N. Y., and was born Sept. 2, 
1814. Their marriage occurred in Niagara Co.. N. 
Y. Their children were Melissa and Minerva 
(twins), who were born May 26, 1836. The first 
named died on the day of birth ; tlie second died 
June 9, following. Martin and Marvin (twins) were 
born June 14, 1838. Martin died \ug. 19, 1838. 
Minerva A. was born April 5, 1840, and is the wife 
of T. G. Richardson, of Lyons, Ohio; Lovinia was 
born June 7, 1844, and died July 2^ of the same 
year. 

Mr. Richardson passed the years of his minority 
assisting his father in improving his farm, and when 
he reached the age of 21 years he went to Lyons, 












^ 



'^K!i:^m^ 



> 



.S!i>5N!3^ 



■^fy^^Jf^^ 



■^v<C'^llli:^nii>>v 



484 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Ohio, where he purchased the mercantile interests of 
Jenks Morey. He managed its affairs alone about 

*^ six months, when he formed a partnership with James 
I Herrick. At the expiration of a year he sold out and 

(^ returned to 80 acres of land deeded to him by his 
father when he attained liis majority. He was mar- 
ried while in Lyons, at Sylvania, Lucas, Co., O., Sept. 
3, 1858, to Roby L, daughter of Sullivan and Fidelia 
(Worden) Johnson. Mrs. Richardson was born in 
Lake Co., Ohio, July 25, 1841. Her father was born 
July I, 1814, in the town of Lunenburg, "Essex Co., 
Vt. Her mother is a native of Manlius, Onondaga 
Co., N. Y., and was born April 2, 1818. The record 
of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Richardson is 
as follows : Lillie, born Sept. 2, i860, died March 
14, 1 86 1 ; Cora A. (Mrs. F. A. Stebbins: see sketch) 
was born June 2, 1862; Bettie L., March 13, 1866; 
Minerva P., Aug. 23, 1870, and Reedie E., Tan. 26, 

D 1878- 

Mr. Richardson continued on the farm two years, 
^N went he went to Lyons, Ohio, and bought the Ex- 
° change Hotel, whicli he managed 18 months. At 
^ the expiration of that lime, he sold the hotel property 
= and again embarked in mercantile business, asso- 
■^C ciated with George W. Edson. The connection ex- 
isted two years, wlien Mr. Richardson became sole 
proprietor by purchase, and continued to conduct his 
general mercantile interests eight years at tliat point, 
when he went to Morenci, Lenawee Co., Mich., and, 
in company with William Miner, established a large 
store, and also conducted a series of 14 cheese fac- 
tories and creameries, located at different points in 
Southern Michigan and Northern Ohio. The man- 
agement of their mercantile connections required the 
assistance of 12 clerks, and they finished daily for 
market about 300 cheeses. In 1872 Mr. Miner 
failed, and the entire concern was in the liands of 
Mr. Richardson, who operated alone until 1873, 
when the financial crisis wliich convulsed the busi- 
ness world caused a shrinkage of values in his 
possession to the amount of $30,000. Disaster 
■5 followed financial stringency, and in 1876 he relin- 
1, quished his business. In 1877 he came to St. Louis 

fand bought the Commercial Hotel, in company with 
S. R. Dewey. He took jjossession of the Leonard 
House, in that village, which he occupied and con- 
f® ducted for the accommodation of the traveling pub- 
lic six months, while the " Commercial " was being 

?yv®>5«^*i-' ;5^^3jr^ — ^^^^n !i 



^) 






put in thorough repair. The house was opened Jan. 
I, 1878, and Mr. Richardson continued its manage- 
ment three and a half years, when he sold and went 
to Detroit, and, in company with Wheeler & Merrill, 
engaged for a short time in the perfumery business. 
Li 1 88 1 he went to Ithaca, and in company with his 
son-in-law, F. A. Stebbins, leased the Fox (now Re- 
tan) House. Later the firm leased the Clarendon 
House at Ionia, and Mr. Richardson went thither, 
and managed its affairs about two months, when, in 
consequence of unforeseen circumstances, he relin- 
quished his claim and returned to Ithaca. Messrs. 
Stebbins & Richardson came to Mt. Pleasant in May, 
1883, and on the i8th of June following they opened 
the Bennett House. It is the leading house in the 
pluckiest municipality in Northern Michigan, and is 
managed in a manner that has secured for it a 
wide-spread, constant and increasing patronage. It 
possesses every appointment and facility of modern 
hotels and secures to its guests home-like and whole- 
some accommodations of a first-class order. The 
proprietors are eminently fitted for their business 
in temperament and character, are genial, affable 
gentlemen, giving every attention to the comfort of 
their patrons, and are business men of more than 
ordinary abilities. 

Mr. Richardson secured a good education in his 
youth and taught several terms of school during his 
minority. During the civil war he enlisted in the 
"National Guards," enrolling in the 130th Regt. 
Ohio Vol., Col. C. Phillips. He was in Company 
D, under Capt. L. J. Carroll. His term of service 
continued 100 days, and his regiment received official 
acknowledgment from President Lincoln for merit- 
orious services in the Army of the Potomac. 



ohn J. Grimm, farmer, section 34, Gilmore 
'r- Township, was born F"eb. 13, 1826, in 
Greene Co., Pa., and is the son of Chris- 
topher and Sarah (Parker) Grimm. His father 
was of German birth and his mother was a 
native of New Jersey ; both died in Greene 
a. 

After lie was 20 years of age Mr. Grimm served 
an apprenticeship of 18 months, learning the trade of 
shoemaking, to which he devoted several years. He 




V^ 



g 

S 



< 



fo) 






m 



nt>A^- 



-^^^J-M 



W^ 



^v/^^>)«^#» 



^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



\y/^ 






>J 



^ 

S 

.) 



^ 



4 



began his work in that line in his native county and 
pursued the same vocation in West Virginia. In the 
fall of 1865 he purchased 40 acres of land in Coe 
Township, Isabella County. It was in a wholly wild 
condition, and lie took possession of it with his fam- 
ily Feb. 28, 1866. In the spring of 1879 he ex- 
changed his " 40 " in Coe Township for 160 acres in 
the township of Gilmore, on which he has since car- 
ried on the work of clearing, improving and culti- 
vating. 

He was married (;)ct. 29, 1854, in liis native county, 
g to Elizabeth, daughter of Martin and Nancy (Martin) 
^ Fox. The grandsires of Mrs. Grimm were both sol- 
^ diers of the war of the Revolution. Her parents are 
living near Morgantown, VV. Va., aged respectively 
94 and 88 years. Five of six children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. Grimm are living. Following is the rec- 
ord : Oscar M., born Aug. 10, 1855; Martin L., 
March 18, i860; William S., May 27, 1862; Nancy 
^ J., March 11, 1865 ; Hiram H., April 6, 1872 ; Clar- 
ence N. was born May 14, iS6g, and died June 23, 
following. 

Tiie parents are members of the Disciples' Church. 
Mr. Grimm is a Republican in political sentiment. 



"I^^- 



ietor F. Conlogue, dealer in agricultural 
implements and manufacturer of harness- 
•^ makers' goods at Mt. Pleasant, was born 
''IV ^^'K- i3i '847> ^t Grand Rapids, Mich. His 
^ parents, Archibald and Sarah (Franklin) Con- 
logue, removed from Michigan to Kendalivillc, 
Noble Co., Ind., in 1852, and a year later made a 
second transfer to Rome City, in the same county. 
The father died there two years afterward. 

Mr. Conlogue celebrated his fifteenth birth-day by 
enlisting as a soldier in the Union Army. He en- 
rolled at Kendallvilie, in Co. A, i42d Ind. Vol. Inf, 
Capt. Ambrose Joiinson. He remained in the ser- 
vice until the end of the war, and received honorable 
discharge Aug. 6, 1865, at Indianapolis ; and reached 
home nine days later. His active service included 
tlie ca.npaigns in which his regiment figured. 

On his return to the life of a private citizen, lie re- 
sumed the occupation of farmer, to which he had 
been trained, and continued the prosecution of that 
pursuit in the State of Indiana until 187 i, when he 




came to Michigan and engaged with Hay Brothers, 
of Grant Township, Clare County. He spent 15 
montlis in the work of clearing land in their employ, 
with from si.x to twenty others similarly occupied, 
their labors resulting in the clearing of about 200 
acres of land. In the spring of 1873 he came to Lin- 
coln Township, in Isabella County, and bought 80 
acres of timber land on section 10, where heoperated 
until he had placed the entire tract under improve- 
ments of the best character, with orchards, good 
buildings and other suitable farm fixtures. He sold 
the place in the fall of 1882. The previous spring 
he came to Mt. Pleasant and engaged as salesman 
with C. M. Brooks & Co., dealers in agricultural im- 
plements. In the fall he purchased their entire in- 
terests and has since continued to manage a prosper- 
ous business. His stock includes all varieties of 
farming implements and machinery, wagons, car- 
riages, harness and other merchandise common to 
similar establishments. 

March i, 1884, he started a branch store in Glad- 
win, Mich., where he is doing a satisfactory business. 
His aggregate stock represents about $to,ooo, and 
his establishment is the only one of its kind at Mt. 
Pleasant. His interests require two local assistants, 
and he employes three traveling salesmen. 

Mr. Conlogue was married Nov. 3, 1870, at Ken- 
dallvilie, Ind., to Alice, daughter of Aaron and Nancy 
Fields. Siie was born May 13, 1854, in Cuyahoga 
Co., Chio. The two children now included in the 
family of Mr. Conlogue were born in Lincoln Town- 
ship, as follows: Ethel L., F'eb. 18, 1S74, and Nel- 
lie t;., Jan. 2, T876. 



eorge Gruber, farmer on section 16, Coe 
.._^~j Township, is a son of John and Catherine 

fs^ (Faust) Gruber, natives of the State of 
Pennsylvania. The parents first settled in 
Northampton Co., Pa., and several years later 
removed to Clarion County, where they re- 
mained until their death. He departed this life in 
i85i,andshe Aug. 23, 1872. The father had by 
this (his second) marriage seven children, in the fol- 
lowing order: Peter, Christina, Henry, Hannah, 
John, Andrew J. and George. 

The subject of tliis biography, the youngest of the 



^^ 






0) 



IvJ^T^- 



J^^^^fKL 



A<M 



1^> 



A 



^ 




Za^^^j/i^ 



I 

'f 






>: 



o 



(J^ 



family, was born in Northampton Co., Pa., Oct. 2, 
1828, and was nine years old when his parents re- 
moved to Clarion County. He lived at home until 
17 years old, and was then apprenticed for three 
years to learn the tanner's trade. After serving his 
time he worked at that trade for a period of seven 
years. In 1859 he removed to Wayne County, Ohio, 
where he was employed at different occupations until 
August, 1862. In that month he enlisted as a pri- 
vate in the Fourth Mich. Vol. Inf , and served until 
the close of tlie war. He was with the Army of the 
Potomac from the battle of Chancellorsville until the 
surrender of Lee, and was an eye-witness in the last 
scene of the bloody drama, when Gen. Lee delivered 
his sword to Gen. Grant. He was honorably dis- 
charged at Alexandria, Va. He returned from the 
army to Pennsylvania, and a short time after, Septem- 
ber, 1865, came to Isabella County, settling on 40 
acres of land on Coe Township, which he had pur- 
chased in December, 1863. He built a log house on 
his farm, which he has since occupied. He now 
owns 80 acres, 65 of which are in good cultivation. 

He was married in Clarion Co., Pa., Dec. 25, 1850, 
to Mary M., daughter of Conrad and Sarah (Cratser) 
Best, natives of Northampton Co., Pa. Mrs. G. was 
born in Center Co., Pa., May 13, 1830. 

Mr. Gruber has held the office of Constable 
one year, and also the various school offices. He 
is politically a supporter of the Democratic party. 
He and wife are members of the German Reformed 
Church. They took an active part in the Grange 
movement, and are both Good Templars. Mr. G. is 
a member of Salt River Lodge, No. 288, F. & A. M. 



' fT^ homas McNamara, dealer in dry goods, 
I j^j 1 loots and shoes, groceries and crockery, 
rjWo "*^ hats and caps, in the Hance & Deveraux 
'^^ Block, Mt. Pleasant, is a son of Michael and 
tw Mary McNamara, and was born in Wayneport, 
I Wayne Co., N. Y., Dec. 28, 1849. His father, 
a contractor and builder, living at Lapeer, Mich., was 
born in Ireland, in 1820. He built two or three 
miles of the Erie Canal, and also took railroad con- 
tracts. He came to Lapeer, Mich., in 1856. His 
wife, born about 1819, in Ireland, is still living. 
Their son Thomas attended school at Lapeer until 



16, when he entered a store as clerk. In 1877 he 
went to Mt. Clemens, Mich., where he was for three 
years successfully engaged in the mercantile business 
in his own interests. In April, 1880, he came to Mt. 
Pleasant and opened a general store in the old Har- 
ris building. Thence he removed to the Upton 
Block, and in January, 1884, he occupied his present 
location. He carries a well selected stock of from 
$8,000 to $10,000 in value, and does a flourishing 
business, employing constantly two or three assistants. 
He was married at Mt. Pleasant, June 26, 1882, to 
Miss Lizzie Dibble, and of this marriage one son, 
Edward M., has been born, March 26, 1883. Mr. 
McNainara owns a nice residence and a lot in Kin- 
ney's Addition, on the corner of Broadway and Kin- 
ney Avenue. He was for one year Treasurer of the 
village of Mt. Pleasant. 



-vtizjza'©^-" 



--^^wjznrav. 




'ames M. Kinter, farmer on section 8, Coe 
'^ Township, is a son of Cyrenus and Rebecca 
J. (Lee) Kinter(see sketch of Cyrenus Kin- 
ter), and was born in Eaton Co., Mich., Aug. 
I, 1844. He received a common-school edu- 
cation in his early youth, and in 1859 came with 
his parents to Coe Township, this county. 

He lived at home until 20 years old, and then for 
one season rented a farm in Chippewa Township, 
after which he returned to Coe Township and locat- 
ed on 80 acres which he had previously purchased 
on section 8. This was in the fall of 1864. The 
following spring he enlisted in the 8th Mich. Vol. 
Cav., serving six months, and was honorably dis- 
charged at Nashville, Tenn. 

Returning home he worked for 14 winters in the 
woods, workingand improving his farm in the summer 
seasons. In the spring of T882, he sold his farm, 
and bought another of 120 acres on section 8, where 
he has since lived. He has disposed of ten acres, 
and of the remaining no, 70 are in a good state of 
cultivation. 

He was married in Coe Township, May 28, 1863, 
to Clara, daughter of William D. and Nancy (Davis) 
McFarren. Mrs. Kinter was born in the State of 
Vermont, Nov. 8, 1S46. One of two children is living, 
Ida .\., born July iS, 1S65. James H. was born June 






"^ 






Z< 



V 



f 



I 



^\m^^ 



.:^-'*-^->pt^. 



^ 



<^Dii^tin>> 



-4^^^fl!>;p 




^/' 



<^7iir^^y^eL^ /^e/ic^^c^ 



m^ 




TssC^"^ 



-K^I 



b^> 



~;is^-<i^<. 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 




28, 1864, and died in May, 1866, nearly two years 
old. 

^„, Mr. Kinter is a member of Ralph Ely Post, No. 
T 150, G. A. R., and in political matters supports the 
/§ . Republican party. 



homas Pickard, Sheriff of Isabella County 

and lumberman, resident at Mt. Pleasant, 

was born Nov. 21, 1842, in New Brunswick. 

He is a son of John and Margaret (Jones) 

Pickard. His father was a lumberman in his 

native province, and later in life came to live 

with his sons at Mt. Pleasant, where he died. 

The mother of Mr. Pickard died when he was but 
four years of age, and he was placed in charge of his 
uncle, Thomas Pickard, vvith whom he remained un- 
(''< ) til he was 19 years of age. He was reared a farmer 
^ and lumberman, the callings of his uncle, and on be- 
/fS coming old enough he entered into the full merits of 
= a woodsman s life. At the age of 19 years he re- 
!<^ turned to the home of his/ather, with whom he con- 
es tinued to reside several years, where he was engaged 
".^ about 18 months as lumberman. In 1868 he came 
\, to East Saginaw, Mich., and entered the employ of 
iV. Gulliver, Remmick & Whitney, a heavy lumber firm 
of Detroit. He operated with them two winters, and 
engaged in the service of Thomas Gulliver, of East 
Saginaw, with whom he remained two winters. In 
the winter of 1873 he managed a lumber camp on 
the Tobacco River, in the interest of B. C. Freese, 
and, on the termination of that relation, he com- 
menced business in his own behalf, at first forming a 
connection with his brother George. They transacted 
business about three years together, when he became 
associated with his brother ^Villiam. They dissolved 
at the end of two years, and Mr. Pickard has since 
conducted his lumber interests singly. He is en- 
gaged chiefly as a contractor, and employs an aver- 
age of 200 men in the woods and on the river. He 
is at present operating in the interest of Jerome & 
Williams, of Saginaw, and has " put in" 23,000,000 
feet the past winter. In the winter of 1882 he put 
in 215,000,000 feet of lumber for Messrs. Jerome & 
Williams and several other parties, besides oiierating 
in his own interests. 

Mr. Pickard's election as Sheriff of Isabella County 



) 



^ 



n 




^^.il.=s — 



^mv^^ 



was a signal personal victory, as he was nominated 
on the Democratic ticket in a decidedly Republican 
locality, and polled the largest majority ever recorded 
in the county. He was nominated in the fall of 
1S82, and ran against Lyman Estee. He received a 
flattering majority in Mt. Pleasant, which is strongly 
Republican. 

The marriage of Mr. Pickard to Elizabeth Finch 
occurred at St. John's, Clinton County. She was born 
in Gratiot County, July 12, 1858, and is a daughter of 
Reuben Finch, who resides near Ithaca, Gratiot 
County. Of their marriage three children have been 
born: John born Aug. 20, 1876; Frank, Feb. 14, 
1878; and Albert B. U., March 16, 1881. 

Among the many portraits of citizens of Isabella 
County, where portraits will afford unmixed satisfac- 
tion to the patrons of this work, is that of Mr. Pick- 
ard, which appears on another page. 



jljichael O'Boyle, farmer on section 10, Coe 
Township, is a son of John and Mary 
(Conolly) O'Boyle, natives of Ireland. 
%K -pi^g parents came to the United States 
about 1835, and settled in Livingston Co., N. 
Y. They afterward removed to Lenawee Co., 
Mich, where they lived 20 years, and about 1859 
they located in Fulton Co., Ohio, where they now 
reside. Their family included seven sons and two 
daughters, of whom Michael was the eldest son. 

He was born in Livingston Co., N. Y., Dec. 25, 
1839, and was very young when his parents came to 
Michigan. He received a limited common-school 
education, and at the age of 13 began to work on a 
farm by the month, which occupation he followed 
until 25. Renting a farm in Lenawee Co., Mich., 
he worked the same about three years, and then, by 
a disastrous fire losing all his personal property, he 
rented another farm for two years. In the spring of 
1870 he came to Isabella County and bought 40 
acres of land on Salt River, in Coe Township, where 
he has since resided. He has added 40 acres, and 
of his whole farm. 60 acres are under cultivation. 

He was married in Adrian, this State, Jan. 21, 
1S67, to Mary, daughter of Peter Stanton, a native 
of Ireland. Mrs. O'Boyle was born in Adrian, Mich. 
She and her husband are the parents of Elizabeth, 




V^' 



1=1 



A 



K 



r 






(h 



1=3 






t 



4|: 



Johnnie, Nellie and Kittie. Johnnie died April 2, 
1883, 13 years old. He was practicing gymnastics, 
and was accidently caught in a rope. 

Mr. O'Boyle was elected a Superintendent of the 
Poor in the fall of i88r, of which office he is still an 
incumbent. He has also held various school offices, 
being at present Director. He is politically a Dem- 
ocrat; and, with his wife, belongs to the Catholic 
Church. 



— wv^Sp" 



g-Wv — f- 



pa:^phester A. Ward, senior member of the 
11^^ firm of C. A. & W. E. Ward, general 
gjl^ merchants at Mt. Pleasant, was born Aug. 
Mv 26, 1817, in Cayuga Co., N. Y. His parents, 
,-'|\ Jonas and Julia Ann (Willis) Ward, were 
farmers and reared their sons on the home- 
stead ^ilace. 

Mr. Ward remained in the care of his mother on 
the liomestead, his father having died about 1828, 
following agricultural pursuits until he was 18 years 
old, when he went to Clyde, Wayne Co., N. Y., and 
entered the employment of his brother-in-law. Smith 
Ely, as a clerk. He officiated in that capacity two 
years and engaged in mercantile interests in his own 
behalf. He continued operations in general trade 
three years. In 1849 he was elected Sheriff and re- 
moved to Lyons, the county seat. He officiated as 
Sheriff three years. On the expiration of his term 
of office he went to the city of New York and inter- 
ested himself in the the produce commission busi- 
ness, in which he was engaged five years. In 1858 
he removed to St. Joseph Co., Mich., and opened a 
general store at Burr Oak, which he managed six 
years. He was then employed by a New York min- 
ing company to go to St. Joe lead mines, which were 
located in St. Francis Co., Mo., as financial manager. 
He officiated in that capacity between two and three 
years, returning at the expiration of that time to Burr 
Oak, where he engaged two years as a clerk. He 
went to Hamilton, Ont., and remained six months to 
establish his son in business, after which he came to 
Stanton, Mich., to take charge of a branch hardware 
store in the interests of an Ionia firm. He continued 
in that engagement about two years. \Vithin a year 
after its termination, in company with Geo. C. Wal- 
lace, he opened a general mill supply business, in 



which he continued two years. At the end of that 
time he sold his interests and served as clerk one 
year for Mr. Wallace, after which he went toBlanch- 
ard, Isabella County, and opened a grocery and pro- 
vision store. He commenced business there in Feb- 
ruary, 1879, and remained until June 12, 1880, 
when he came to Mt. Pleasant and established the 
business in which he is now engaged, in company 
with his son William E., and a gentleman named 
C. Chrysler. The latter closed his relations with 
the firm four months later. The stock represents 
a value of $5,000, and the firm are engaged in the 
transaction of a solid cash business. 

Mr. Ward was mariied in Clyde, May 28, 1848, to 
Caroline D., daughter of Aaron and Electa Young. 
She was born in Geneva, N. Y., April 2, 181 9. Of 
four children born of this marriage two are now living : 
William E., business associate with his father, was 
born Sept. 15, 1849; John R., born in Lyons, Nov. 
27, 1851,13 clerking in a wholesale and retail grocery 
in Syracuse, N. Y. ; Thomas C. was born Aug. 19, 
1859, and died 12 days later; Mary C, born April 
7, 1861, died March 22, 1864. 



-%^'£ 




r|tC'oseph A. Struble, farmer on section 32 
- Chi|)pewa Township, is a son of William 



W. and Mary (Murphy) Struble (see sketch 
of W. W. Struble), and was born in Morrow 
Co.. Ohio, Jan. 16, 1848. When quite young 
his parents removed to Fulton Co., Ohio, and 
there he lived till 17 years old, attending school and 
working on the farm. In the fall of 1863 he came 
with his parents to Isabella County and assisted his 
father in clearing a farm for three years. 

He then married, and after living four months in 
Salt River, he lived three months on the "Clary 
farm," about two months at " Indian Mills," and then 
removed to Broomfield Township, where he engaged 
in lumbering. He was also employed on the State 
road two years. Returning to Chippewa Township, 
for two years he carried on the farm then owned by 
Marcus Grinnell, after which he moved on his 40- 
acre farm previously bought on section 32, Chippewa. 
Here he lived four years. He has bought and sold 
various tracts of land, and purchased 40 acres of his 



V.^ 



A 



C< 






<^ 



? 



5))f^|^^ 



^DDi>-^ 



-^|?§5^(®. 



V 



■)^?|*' 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



491 



^ 



present farm in July, 1881. He now owns 60 acres, 
most of which is under cultivation. 

He was married Dec. 20, 1S67, at "Indian Mills," 
Union Township, to lAicretia T., daughter of Marcus 
and Deborah (Manchester) Grinnell, natives of the 
State of New York. Mrs. Grinnell died in the Empire 
State, Dec. 7, 1846. He remarried, came to this 
county in the spring of i860, and settled in Chip- 
pewa, where he lived until his death, Feb. 22, 1884. 
Mrs. Struble was born in Orleans Co., N. Y., Oct. 16, 
1842, and is the mother of three living children: 
Helen J., born Nov. 6, 1868; Cora E., March 25, 
1872: and Myrtie M., Sept. 30, 1874. Mary J. was 
born Dec. 4, 1877, and died March 7, 1880; Hattie 
R. was born April i, 1S81, and died March 30, 1882. 
Mr. Struble has held the office of Township Treas- 
urer two years, and in politics is a Republican. He 
and wife are Seventh-Dav Adventists. 



/>. 



^|[^"ames N. Vansice, proprietor of the Penin- 
WMl sular House at Mt. Pleasant, was born 
j<F*? Sept. 26, 1830, in the township of Parma, 
Monroe Co., N. Y. He is a son of John and 
^f^ Harriet (Kipp) Vansice, and was reared on a 
farm. He came to Michigan on attaining his 
majority, and after a residence of one year in Wayne 
County he proceeded to De Witt, Clinton County, 
where he became the owner of 80 acres of farming 
land. He resided upon the estate about three years, 
and in 1855 engaged in the management of the 
Gardner House at De Witt. At the end of a year he 
exchanged the hotel property for 80 acres of land in 
Olive Township, in the same county. A year later 
he went to St. John's and opened a grocery, which he 
managed with gratifying results until i86o, when he 
sold out and became interested in the manufacture 
and sale of pumps. He served as Marshal of St. 
John's two years while residing there, and from 1867 
to 1875 was engaged in freighting merchandise from 
St. John's to Mt. Pleasant. Among other business 
enterprises in which he engaged was that of buying 
and selling produce. 

Mr. Vansice came to Mt. Pleasant in March, 1876, 
and became the proprietor of the Bamber House. 
He continued its management until the s[)ring of 
1880, when he took possession of 80 acres of land he 



had purchased in Union Township, a mile and a 
half south of the village of Mt. Pleasant. To this he 
has added by later purchase until he now owns 160 
acres on the northwest quarter of section 27, which 
is in a fine agricultural condition, with no acres un- 
der cultivation, having well assorted orchards, good 
barns, fine house and other creditable firm fixtures. 
He also holds a lease of ten acres of land adjoining 
the corporation of Mt. Pleasant, on which he has set 
out all the best varieties of peach-trees. 

The hotel in which he is established he bought in 
the fall of 1880. It is arranged for the accommoda- 
tion of about 40 guests, and has good stables attached. 
The structure and other buildings occupy four lots. 
Mr. Vansice owns, besides, a residence and six lots 
at St. John's. While a resident of that place he 
served 18 months as Deputy Sheriff of Clinton ('oun- 
ty and in various village and township offices. He 
is a member of the Order of Masonry. 

He was married in November, 1852, in Monroe 
Co., N. Y., to Laura L., daughter of Harry and 
Clarissa Olmstead. Ten children have been born 
to Mr. and Mrs. Vansice, in the following order: 
Harriet (deceased); Sidney A., residing at Ml. Pleas- 
ant ; James N. (deceased) ; ("lara, Mrs. Thomas 
Samson, of Mt. Pleasant; Laura, wife of Warren 
Taylor, a farmer of Chippewa Township; Franklin 
(deceased) ; Charles, Dora and Eva. 

^ij amuel Kennedy, farmer and lumberman 
,,,^f^^ on section 20, Coe Township, is a son of 
Junius and Nancy (Reid) Kennedy, natives of 
County Down, Ireland, and he also was born 
in that county, on Easter Sunday, 1823. He 
was eight years old when the family rame to 
America, and he lived at home most of the time until 
25 years of age. When 19, however, he began work 
in a saw-mill in ("arroll Co., Ohio, and he has been 
engaged in milling ever since with the exception of 
four years. He came to this county in the spring of 
1863, and bought 80 acres on section 20, Coe. In 
1875 he built the fine frame house he now occupies. 
He has 45 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Carroll Co., Ohio, April 30, 
1849, to Mary, daughter of Stephen and Rebecca 
(Leslie) West. She was born in Carroll Co., Ohio, 



•r • 



J^ 



<:ii!i:^i 



rK-i.^ 



M^r^^^^ 



492 






jj 






>^ 



V 



Q^ 



i 




ISABELLA COUNTY. 



May 16, 1828, and is the mother of three children, — 
James M. R., Stephen S. S. and A. Denight. 

Mr. K. has been Supervisor of Coe one year. He 
is now Sexton of the Salt River Cemetery. He was 
superintendent of the building of the court-house at 
Mt. Pleasant, and clerk of the building committee. 
He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and F. & A. M. 
He has been a Republican, but is now a supporter of 
the Prohibition party. He and wife are members of 
the Christian Church. 



!-»— f- 




, illiam I. Cutler, real-estate, loan, abstract 
and insurance agent, at Mt. Pleasant, was 
born Jan. 16, 1853, in the township of 
Adams, Hillsdale Co., Mich., and is a son 
of William and Esther (Van Auken) Cutler. 
His father was a farmer in the State of New 
York, whence he emigrated in an early period and 
became one of the first pioneer settlers of ,'^dams 
Township, where he died, July g, 1869. The mother 
is a resident of Hillsdale. 

Mr. Cutler was reared on a farm and attended the 
common schools until he was 16 years of age, when 
he became a student at Hillsdale College, where he 
studied one year in the commercial department and 
a second year in the classical course. In 1873 he 
went to St. John's, Clinton County, where he obtained 
a position in the First National Bank as clerk. He 
officiated in that capacity 13 months, when he en- 
tered the real-estate office of Cutler & Walker. The 
senior member of the firm was his brother, and he 
remained in their service about a year and a half 
In 1877 he came to Mt. Pleasant, and obtained the 
position of teller in the banking house of Hicks, 
Bennett & Co. He discharged the duties of the po- 
sition eight months, and on the first day of Decem- 
ber, 1878, he opened his office. He became asso- 
ciated with D. Scott Partridge April i, 1882, and the 
relation continued to e.vist until Dec, i, 1883, when 
Mr. Partridge withdrew. 

Mr. Culler represents the following named fire in- 
surance companies: Germania, Underwriters' In- 
surance Co. of North America, Detroit Fire & Marine, 
and the Cooper of Dayton, Ohio. He effects loans 
on real estate, buys and sells property on commission, 
and is operating with gratifying results. He has 



built an attractive cottage of the Queen Anne order 
of architecture, in " Kinney's Addition;" and he also 
owns two farms in Isabella County, — 80 acres on 
section 8 of Chippewa Township, and 40 acres on 
section 35, Nottawa Township. He is a member 
of the blue lodge. Masonic Order, and in the years 
1880-1, he served as Clerk of Union Township. 

Mr. Cutler's marriage with Mary Lynch, daughter 
of John and Elizabeth Lynch, took jjlace Jan. 16, 
1879, at Mt. Pleasant. She is a native of London, 
Ont. The family circle now includes one child, Es- 
ther J., born Oct. 18, 1879. 



"'>«2ae'©f3^— ^/| 



-gf^S^^JTiTIv 




I 









Jlas Fosgitt, farmer on section ^t,, Chippe- 
wa Township, is a son of Silas and Abigail 
(Weymouth) Fosgitt, natives of the State 
of New York and the Province of Nova Scotia. 
The parents lived first near Rochester. N. Y., 
then in Monroe County, same state, and in ^ 
1835 they removed to Oakland County, this State, '^ 
where they died, he Sejjt. 22, 1841, and she July 15, ^ 
1850. Their family numbered three: Abigail, Elias 
and Silas. The two latter were twins, and were born 
in Avon, Livingston Co., N. Y., May 31, 1818. 

The subject of this biography was 17 years old 
when his parents removed to this State. He received 
a common-school education and made his home with 
his parents uncil 23 years of age. He then worked 
out for two years, and then, his father having died, 
he carried on the farm for an equal petiod, when it v 
was sold. He next returned to Monroe Co., N. Y., 
and three years later came to Oakland Couniy again, 
where he bought a farm. This was his home for five 
years, when he sold, and worked a farm on shares in 
Calhoun County four years. In January, 1857, he 
came to tiiis county and settled on 160 acres in Chip- 
(lewa, bought under the Graduation Act at5octs. per 
acre, in 1855. He at once built a log house and set 
out to clear his farm, which was covered by a dense 
forest. Maple Rapids, Clinton County, was his 
nearest trading point. He has since disposed of 80 
acres, and has 50 acres improved. 

He was married in Monroe Co., N. Y., Nov. 14, 
1842, to Lydia, daughter of Robert and Susan 
(Broadley) Carver, natives of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. 



5s 



/ 



r 



% 

G 
> 



Wm 



^-^^ 



^ 



<^[i!]:^^nDi> 



-Sy^ 



-^i^^^^W: 



m 



:^-« 



:i%;fAsr 






^ 






--V<^tltl>:llD>i>^r-r- 

1 SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



-:2$%"^v: 



SI' Si 



Carver removed to New York, where she died, in 
Monroe County, July 2, 1839. He removed to Cal- 
houn Co., Mich., about 1850, and died Dec. 5, 1858. 
Mrs. Fosgitt was born in Rupert, Vt., Dec. 7, 1822. 
Of six children born to Mr. and Mrs. F., three sur- 
vive, Abbic, William W. and Cynthia. The de- 
ceased were Robert, Sophia and an infant. 

The parents are members of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church. Politically he is a Republican. 

fj f^i evi S. Smith, farmer, section 26, Coldwater 
^li x&l ,tt Township, was born April 23, 1831, in the 
'i'l^'&v town of Fairfield, Harrison Co., Ohio. His 
parents, Hiram and Betsey E. (Longley) Smith, 
were both natives of the State of New York. 
In 1837 they emigrated to Allen Co., Ind., where 
the father purchased a farm, which he sold two years 
later and bought a tract of Government land in De 
Kalb Co., Ind., where he remained eight years, sold 
out and removed to Lenawee Co., Mich., in 1847. 
He purchased a farm and Mr. Smith remained as his 
father's assistant until he was 21 years old. 

On attaining his majority, he engaged by the month 
as a farm laborer about three years, when he fitted 
himself for the trade of a builder, to which he de- 
voted the next 17 years without intermission. When 
he was about 22 years old, he bought So acres of 
Government land in Montcalm County, 13 miles 
north of Ionia, which he sold not long after in the 
same original state in which it was at the date of 
purchase. May 2, 1859, he started for the West, and 
went through Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and then, 
commencing May 20, traversed the length of tlie 
Mississippi River to Baton Rouge, thence up the 
Red River, which he followed into Texas, where 
early in July he engaged in freighting from Shreve- 
port. La., to Sulphur Springs, in the Lone Star State, 
a distance of 225 miles. He remained there until 
the last of October, t86o, and during the time he 
made the longest journey of his life on foot, walking 
from Sulphur Springs to Gaines' Landing on the 
Mississippi River, 333 miles, occupying lo days on 
the journey. 

He returned from Texas to Hudson, Lenawee Co., 
Mich., where he engaged in working at his trade. 
He bought a house and lot, and Resided there be- 




tween six and seven years, when he removed to 
Coldwater Township, Isabella County, reaching here 
in January, 1868. He took up his residence on land 
which he had entered under the provisions of the 
Homestead Act, Dec. 6, 1866. On tiiis he lesided 
until June, 1876, when he sold the property and 
bought the farm where he has since resided. It in- 
cludes So acres, 70 acres of which are cleared and 
improved. Mr. Smith is a Republican in his politi- 
cal connections, and has been Justice of the Peace 
and School Assessor. He has been a member of the 
Order of Odd Fellows, but has withdrawn from active 
membership in the fraternity. 

He was married Dec. 2, 1856, to Fannie M., 
daughter of Warren J. and Melinda Louisa (Ells- 
worth) Ashley. Her parents were born respectively 
in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and are both 
deceased. Mr. Smith was born May 4, 1840. Of 
her marriage to Mr. Smith, eight children have been 
born, as follows : Perry L., Dec. 9, 1857; Warner 
A., March 17, 1862; Wallace D., May ri, 1864 
(died Feb. 24, 1S65); Florence R., Nov. 18,1867; 
Clarence E., Jan. 27, 1870; Milo J., Dec. 17, 187 1 ; 
Clara M., July 28, 1S73 (died Aug. 25, 1873); Bur- 
nett L, Sept. 7, 1S78. 



'"ylj _ ichael Devereaux, an aUorney at law and 
_iMa!'' Justice of the Peace of Mt. Pleasant, 
I !(|pi£^''V was born Jan. 17, 1845, in the township 
S* ■^?^, of Irondequoit, Monroe Co., N. Y., about 8 
^^ miles from the city of Rochester. His jiarents, 
Patrick and Mary (Conklin) Devereaux, came 
to Michigan in 1845, settling on a new farm of 40 
acres in Osceola Township, Livingston County, which 
the father had purchased at a previous period. The 
family continued to reside there until 1855, when 
they removed to Deerfield Township in the same 
county and settled upon a farm of 80 acres, where 
the mother died in November, 1858, leaving a family 
of six children. In 1859 they removed to the town- 
ship of Hartland in the same county, where the 
father, now about 70 years old, still continues to 
reside. 

The subject of this sketch, when but ten years old, 
met with an accident, cutting one of his knees while 
making a hand sleigh, in such a way that it unfitted 



V^ 



I 






J{ 



t 



/5a^1^^)J^^ 




-^^^^ — ^V4>llli:t:illl^>v^ 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



him for farm work. His father ther\ exerted himself 
,® to keep him in school, so that he might fit himself 
^'^^ for some trade or profession. Mr. D. attended the 
I common schools until he was about 18 years of 
(hi age, when he became a student at the private semin- 
ary of Mrs. P. C. Dayfoot, in Howell, Livingston 
County. After a year of study there he spent some 
time at the Howell union school and then com- 
menced teaching. His first teaching was in a district 
school in Osceola Township, where his father first 
settled. After this he taught the village school at 
Fowlerville, in the same county, for one winter, and 
also had charge of the village school of Zilwaukee, in 
Saginaw County, for one year. 

He had an ambition for a more liberal education, 
and having earned sufficient money to prosecute his 
studies further, he went to the State Normal School at 
Ypsilanti, where he studied two years in the classical 
course. He then received an appointment as Princi- 
pal of the union school at Ontonagon on Lake 
Superior, the school having at that time a corps of 
i=i four teachers. He continued its management for 
•^ five years, and in the fall of 1874 left the field of 
T=x teaching and entered the Law Department of the 
•^j- University an Ann Arbor, where he graduated with 
the Centennial Class of 1876, and in May of the 
same year came to Mt. Pleasant and formed a part- 
nership with S. W. Hopkins for the practice of the 
profession. This relation existed until November, 
1878, when his associate was elected to represent the 
county in the Legislature, and in the same month 
Mr. Devereaux was elected Prosecuting Attorney of 
the county, by a majority of 171 votes over his Re- 
publican competitor, Dr. S. C. Brown, himself and 
the Sheriff, Charles M. Brooks, being the only ones 
elected on the Democratic ticket. 

In May, 1882, he entered into his present business 
relation, under the firm name of Hance & Devereaux, 
for. the transaction of a general real-estate and loan 
business. They also deal in lumber, in connection 
with the regular business of their office, their interests 
in that branch being situated in Midland County, 
where, with Charles Stirling, they own the timber on 
2,000 acres of land. Their logs are put into Salt 
River, and from there into the Chippewa and run to 
Saginaw. 

During the summer of 18S3 Messrs. Hance & 
Devereaux built the fine business block where their 



O 



office is located. It is of brick, 45 xgo feet in dimen- 
sions and two stories high above the basement. The 
first story is devoted to mercantile business, while 
the second is utilized for offices. Mr. Devereaux is 
actively interested in the educational interests of the 
county, being at present Chairman of the Board of 
County School Examiners, and he has also been 
Secretary of the School Board since 1877. 

The portrait of Mr. Devereaux is given on another 
page. 



K[|,«.oshua J. Upton, farmer on section 17, Coe 

plL"" Township, is a soit of Joshua and Priscilla 




(Taggart) Upton. The parents were natives 
of Peterborough, N. H., where they lived until 
about ten years after marriage. They then 
lived one year in Warren Co., Pa., and then re- 
moved to Chautauqua Co., N. Y., where they resided 
the remainder of their lives. He died in December, 
1870, and she in the spring of 1878. The nine mem- 
bers of the family were named Priscilla, Albert, John 
A., James M., Joshua J., George W., William H., 
Thon.as J. and Mary P. 

The subject of this biographical notice, the fourth 
son, was born in Peterborough, N. H. Jan. 8, 1832, 
and was an infant of one year when his parents re- 
moved to Pennsylvania, and two years old when the 
family settled in New York. He received the ele- 
ments of a common English education in the dis- 
trict schools of his neighborhood, and worked on his 
father's farm until 21 years old. He then began to 
work at the capenter's trade, which he followed most 
of the time ten years. In February, 1864, he bade 
adieu to the Empire State, and, selecting Isabella 
County as his future home, bought 80 acres of land 
in Coe Township, where he has since resided, and 
on which he has erected a creditable residence and 
other buildings. In connection with farming, he has 
worked at carpentry, and has built or assisted to 
build many buildings in the vicinity of Salt River. 
He has improved about 36 acres of his home farm, 
and owns in the township 157 acres, 113 of which are 
improved. 

He was married in Chautauqua Co., N. Y., Sept. 
29, 1862, to Wealthy M., daughter of Elijah and 
Samantha (Wilkins) Moore, natives of Chautauqua 



f 



C 






c^: 



< 



.^^^^ 



-X^>il!l:^llBi>a^ — ^>^^ 



I 



;^V®:^«^#- 



z^^^^ 



I 
I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-;^<. 



497 -^ 



v^ 



/^ 



>^' 









Co., N. y. Mrs. U. was born in Crawford Co., Pa., 
July 31, 1S42. Myrtie B., Lola L., Jedde L. and 
Iva P. S. are the four younger members of the family 
circle. 

Mr. Upton has been Township ("lerk one year, 
and School Inspector. He is adirector of the Farm- 
ers' Mutual Insurance Company of Gratiot and Isa- 
bella Counties. Politically, he is an ardent and 
influential member of the National party. Being an 
anti-monopolist, he is a believer in railroad competi- 
tion as a legitimate agent in developing a new coun- 
try, and he is largely interested in the proposed To- 
ledo & Ann Arbor line through this county. He is 
very liberal in his religious views, and does not hesi- 
tate to denounce priestcraft as a cloud over human 
progress. 



jlbert A. Preston, residing at Mt. Pleasant, 
is a son of William and Mary (Fisk) Presr 
ton. The former was born in Stratford, Vt., 
June 28, 1803, and the latter in the same 
locality Jan. 31, 1806. They were married 
' Sept. 7, 1824, and were blessed with nine 
children, of whom five are now not living. The 
survivors are the following: Albert A.; Ellen L., 
wife of Samuel Woodworth, veterinary surgeon at 
Mt. Pleasant (she taught the first school at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, while her husband was absent in the army); 
Wallace W., now County Treasurer; and Althea M., 
wife of Hon. Isaac A Fancher, of Detroit. The de- 
ceased were Sarah E., wife of John Fuller; Mary 
A., second wife of John Fuller; Walter Scott; Celia 
E., wife of E. H. Bradley, of Mt. Pleasant (their 
marriage, the first in Mt. Pleasant, was celebrated Oct. 
10, 1865); and Emma A., wife of Albert Fox, wiio 
was at one time editor of the Isabella County Enter- 
prise. ^ 

Mrs. Mary (Fisk) Preston's father was born at 
Boscawen, N. H., April 18, 1773, and her mother was 
born at Newbury, Mass., May 28, r777. They were 
married June 22, 1795, and of their nine children 
three are yet living, — Mary, mother of Albert A.; 
Ephraim, a farir.er in Ceneva, Kan.; Levinda H., 
wife of Josiah Beckwith, a farmer of Buchanan 
Township, Berrien County, this State. 

William Preston's father, Robert G., was born Aug. 




12, 1766; and mother, Hannah, «^^ Brown, Dec. 6, 
1770. They were married at Cliester, N. H., May 
II, 17S6, and were the parents of 14 cliildren, — John, 
Robert G. (first), an unnamed infant daughter, Will- 
iam (first), Roswell, Edward, Oliver W., Hannah, 
William (second), Hazen, Alniira, Eunice, Robert G. 
(second) and Royal. 

Robert G. Preston's parents (Albert A.'s great- 
grandparents), Edward and Edna (Greenough), were 
married Jan. 27, 1763. Their six children were 
Moses, Robert, Edna, Molly, Edward and an infant 
not named. 

The subject of this biography was born in Strafford 
Township, Orange Co., Vt., Aug. 16, 1827, and was 
reared on a farm. When he was eight years old 
(1835) his family moved to Bethany Township, Gen- 
esee Co., N. Y.; and in 1839 they again moved, to 
Java Township, Wyoming County, where his father 
bought 100 acres. Here Albert developed into man- 
hood, having attended school most of the winters of 
his youth. 

In the spring of 1855 he moved to Sauk Co., Wis., 
returning in the fall of the same year to New York. 
In May, 1862, he came to this State and settled in 
what is now Lincoln Township, Isabella County, 
homesteading 160 acres of timbered land on section 
2. At that time his nearest market was St. John's, 
48 miles away. He has given his son Wilbur 60 
acres, and now owns 100 acres. Of the wliole farm 
he cleared 100 acres. It was at first difficult to "et 
lumber, and he had a bark roof, which let in the rain 
profusely, often saturating his bed and clothing. 
After getting in his first crop, however, he found 
time to construct a roof of shakes, which he split 
from the surrounding pines. Deer were plentiful, — 
also bear. His first team of horses were brought 
from New York State when he first came. His route 
was by lake to Detroit, thence by wagon via St. 
John's to his new home. The roads were muddy, 
the wheels were often in the mud to the axle, and he 
was five and a half days in making the trip. 

Mr. P.'s parents came to Mt. Pleasant in February, 
1864. On account of the illness of his father, Mr. 
Preston moved to Mt. Pleasant in tlie f;ill of 1881, 
and he cared for his father until the latter's 
death, Nov. 10, 18S1. His present residence was 
the first frame house in Mt. Pleasant, and was 
built by Dr. Burt. Mr. Preston helped build many 



V^ 



(5 

s 
% 




-cr 



v<^DD^IiD>>r 



-*^p- 



J SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



^ of the first buildings in the village, including the 

M three first stores. 

.'^ He was married in Java Township, Wyoming Co., 
? N. Y., April 13, 185 1, to Miss Martha Nichols, 

,-^. daughter of George and Mary Nichols, who was 
born in Keene, N. H., April 16, 1833. Of five chil- 
dren given to Mr. and Mrs. P., four survive. The 
record is as follows : Mary E., born in Java Dec. 15, 
1852, and now the wife of Arthur B. Caldwell, a 
farmer of Fremont Township, this county (she has had 
three children, — Lillian (deceased). Genie and Alice); 
Wilbur E., born Oct. 21,. 1854, now a farmer on sec- 
tion 2, Lincoln Township, and married to Marilla 
Abbott; Alice, born Feb. 20, i860, now the wife 
of William Atkins, farmer of Coe Township; and 
Wendell B., born Dec. 16, 1S67, and now living at 
home. David D. was born May 19, 1863, and died 
when three and a half years old. 



^4 — f^Sidnnny 




r^- (£1/ 1^^ 



n 



a 



\ 



Wing, farmer on section 33^ 
Jp Chippewa Township, is a son of Benjamin 
"' '^ and Bathsheba (Tobey) Wing, natives of 
Hampshire and Franklin Counties, Mass. 
The parents settled in Hawley, Mass., where 
they lived till the father's death, March i, 
1835. The mother died while on a visit to Kansas, 
Oct. 17, 187 1. Their children numbered four, — 
Elizabeth M., Sarah, Benjamin and Bathsheba T. 

The subject of this sketch, the only son of his 
parents, was born in Hawley, Mass., March 20, 1832, 
and received the rudiments of an English education 
in the common schools, attending also one term at 
the Sanderson Academy at Ashfield, Mass. Losing 
his father when three years old, he lived with his 
mother until 21 years of age. He then worked out 
by the month for four years, when he bought a farm 
in Ashfield, Franklin Co., Mass. This he tilled until 
1869, when he sold and removed to DeKalbCo., Mo. 
He bought a farm there, but not meeting with the 
success he expected, he sold out, and in the fall of 
1875 came to Isabella County and bought 40 acres 
of wild land on section 33, to which, he has since 
added 60 acres. He has 80 acres under cultivation. 
He ivas married in Hawley, Mass., May 22, i860, 
to Hannah M., daughter of Clark and Emeline 





(Kelly) Sears, natives of Franklin Co., Mass. Mrs. 
Wing was born in West Hawley, June 22, 1839. 
The four children added to the household are Walter 
S., Wallace B., Lizzie G. and Clara E. 

Mr. Wing has been Supervisor of Chippewa three 
years, and School Director several terms. Politically, 
he is a staunch Republican. He and wife adhere to 
the faith of the Universalist Church. 

H ^^^^^m-^ ! 

ames Davis, stave manufacturer, resident 
'1^ atMt. Pleasant, was born Dec. 27, 1847, in 
Oxford Co., Can. His parents, Tliomas and 
Catherine (Rourke) Davis, are both deceased. 
Mr. Davis was reared on his father's farm, 
and in 1867 went to Green Bay District, Wis- 
consin, where he engaged four years in lumbering. 
In the spring of 1872 he came to Tuscola, Mich., 
where he established himself in the stave business. 
He spent some time subsequently in Clare County, 
Mich., and in 1878 came to Mt. Pleasant and founded 
his present establishment. He moved his family 
hither in 1879. His business relations afford em- 
ployment for a force of assistants numbering from 
75 to 125 men. He ships his products chiefly to 
Quebec and New York. He manufactures yearly 
from 100,000 to 200,000 hand-made Canada Pipe 
staves. 

Mr. Davis was married Nov. 3, 1879, at East Sag- 
inaw, to Mary, daughter of James and Mary Sweeney. 
She was born May 20, 1857, in Ireland. Three 
daughters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, 
as follows: Mary C, Aug. 12, 1880; Margaret L., 
Sept. 23, 1881 ; Helen E., Sept. i, 1883. 



Ijharles W. Sawyer, farmer on section 16, 
Coe, is a son of Charles^ T}. and Mary 
(Covey) Sawyer, natives of Vermont. 'i"he 
parents emigrated first to New York, then to 
Illinois, and three years later to Michigan, 
locating in Barry County. In 1864 they came 
to Isabella County and settled in Coe Township, 
where ihey lived till their death, 'i'he mother de- 




11 



€ 



^ 






V 



■3. 



.r:::.'^^. 



JL 



<^t]ll^[lllr> 



.£u=x 






-4^^^%> 



t^ 



^) 








^^Up^-A^^'^/J^ 



m 



r^J^i^ cnK'JDD^Dtl^^r 



TZS^Qr- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



V 



;^ 



parted this life June 20, 1869, and tlie father Jan. i, 
1879. 

The subject of this sketch, their second son, was 
born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., Sept. 20, 1842, and 
lived with his parents, following them in their several 
removes, until the death of his motlier in 1869. He 
learned the carpenter's trade of his father, which oc- 
cupation he has followed a small portion of tlie time 
since. He was for one year at Salt River a clerk for 
Aaron Wessels, but he has been principally engaged 
in agriculture. In 1865 he bought 40 acres of land 
on section 16, and he now has 25 acres under culti- 
vation. 

He was married in Coe Township, April 3, 1870, to 
Louisa C, daughter of Richard and Louisa (Gleason) 
Hoy, and adopted daughter of Dunham D. and Mary 
A. Burnham. Mrs. Sawyer was born in Colchester, 
Vt., Oct. 27, 1850. Of three children born to Mr. 
and Mrs. S., two died in infancy. The surviving 
one is Richard R., born Jan. 15, 1878. Mrs. Sawyer 
died at her home in Coe, Oct. 10, 1878. 

Mr. S. supixirts the principles of the Republican 
party, is a Freemason, and has been Township 
Treasurer two years. 



"oseph Myers, farmer on section 21, Coe 
^ Township, is a son of Michael and Eve 
(McCoy) Myers, natives of Pennsylvania 
and Maryland. The parents first settled in the 
Keystone State and afterwards removed to 
Stark Co., Ohio, and thence to DeKalb Co., 
In the fall of 1855, they came to this county, 
where the mother died. The father afterwards went 
to Williams Co., Ohio, where he died, in May, 1866. 
The subject of this notice was born in Stark Co., 
Ohio, Jan. 16, 1830, and was 13 years old when his 
parents re.iioved to Indiana, where he lived until 
1855, engaged in farming. In the spring of that 
year he came to this county and bought 1 20 acres of 
Government land in Coe Township, where he has 
since lived. He has now 80 acres under cultivation. 
He was married in DeKalb Co., Ind., Oct. 8, 1848, 
to Margaret, daughter of Jacob and Solama (Anthony) 
Sawvel, natives of the State of Pennsylvania. She 
was born in Stark Co., Ohio, Aug. 18, 1833. To this 
marriage were given 15 children, of whom 13 sur- 




Ind. 





vive : John F., Edward, Sarah J., Ralph, Mary, 
Useba, William C, Addie, U. S. Grant, Elmira, 
Samantha, Nellie and Elma. Charlie and Winnie 
are deceased. 

Politically, Mr. Myers is a Republican. 

He was drafted in September, 1864, was assigned 
to Co. I, 23d Mich. Vol. Inf., and served about nine 
months. He fought at Fort Anderson, Franklin 
(Tenn.), Columbia (Tenn.), Nashville (Tenn.), Wil- 
mington (N. C.) and Goldsboro. He was severely 
wounded at Town Creek, Feb. 20, 1865, and was 
honorably discharged at Salisbury, N. C, June 28, 
following. 



esley J. Corbus, M. D., eclectic physician 
and surgeon at Mt. Pleasant, was born 
Aug. 17, 1818, in Wayne Co., Mich., eight 
miles west of Detroit. He is the son of Jo- 
seph and Sarah (Britton) Corbus, and in 1828 
his parents removed to Hillsdale Co., Mich. 
About three years later they again removed and set- 
tled in Girard Township, Branch County, where the 
father became the proprietor by purchase of 1 60 acres 
of land. Both parents died on the homestead in 
Girard. 

Dr. Corbus obtained a good elementary education, 
and at the age of 23 years he went to Millersburg, 
Holmes Co., Ohio, and taught school two years. He 
returned to Branch County and entered upon the 
study of medicine with Dr. Moses E. CHiauncey, a 
practitioner at Girard Center. He spent nearly four 
years reading for his profession under the instruction 
of Dr. Chauncey, and commenced his career in the 
practice of medicine at Warsaw, Ind. He remained in 
business there about three years and went then to 
Union City in Branch County, where he operated sev- 
eral years. His ne.xt place of action was at Tekonsha, 
Calhoun County, where he remained until April, 1863, 
when he came to Isabella County. He bought 320 
acres of land on section 13, Lincoln Township, which 
was all in heavy timber. He cleared and improved 
130 acres, erected good buildings, planted orchards, 
and put everything in the best order for successful 
agriculture. He has deeded a portion to his children, 
and retains 107 acres, with 60 acres cleared and im- 
proved. He began his practice immediately on be- 



1 



()) 



¥, 



w 



C 



i 






Ci^±, 



r^ 



<m%m<>^ — ^^^ 



-|f^^v% 




-^>^x- 



<^^aii:t:i]Ds>r 



T 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(h 



^l 



i^^ 






{^ 



I 



coming a citizen of the county, and has been actively 
engaged in the career of medicine without interrup- 
tion since that time. 

In 1874, Dr. Corbus purchased a farm adjoining 
the southern limits of the village corixiration. On 
this he erected a fine residence, after which he sold 
the place, and in December, 1875, he settled in Mt. 
Pleasant, opened an office and entered uixin the vig- 
orous prosecution of his profession. In 1878, Dr. 
Corbus went to Cincinnati and took a course of study 
in the Eclectic Medical Institute, under the celebrated 
Dr. Scudder. He was graduated there in 1879. 
His business includes a wide circle of town and coun- 
try patrons, and is permanently established on the 
foundation of ability and success. Dr. Corbus is a 
Swedenborgian in religious views, and belongs to 
the Masonic Order, Chapter in. Royal Arch. 

His marriage to Christiana Popham occurred Oct. 
14, 1844, in Knox Co., Ohio. She was born Feb. 
27, 1827, in Pike Township, Knox County, and is the 
daughter of Francis and Mary (Scoles) Popham. Fol- 
lowing are the names of the six children born to Dr. 
and Mrs. Corbus : Mary A., deceased ; Eugene M., 
a farmer in Oregon ; Joseph, also engaged in agricul- 
ture in Oregon ; Lydia B., wife of Michael Walsh, a 
farmer of Washington Territory; and Francis P., de- 
ceased. 

The portrait of Dr. Corbus is presented on a pre- 
ceding page of this work. 

M Pj hilip Servoss, deceased, late resident on 

LkJ section 31, Chippewa Township, was a son 
jjll^'* of Daniel and Doxy (Briggs) Servoss, na- 
\(f^ tives of New York State. The family num- 
yiV bered seven : Hiram, Charlotte, Philip, Chaun- 
cey, Olive, Margaret and Christopher; Philip being 
the second son and third child. 

He was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Feb. 22, 
18 1 8, and was six weeks old when his parents re- 
moved to Orleans Co., N. Y. Here he lived until 
April, 1866, engaged in farming. Coming to Isabella 
County at the date mentioned (walking from Lan- 
sing), he bought 80 acres in Chippewa Township, 
where he lived until his death, April 10, 1881. 

He was married in Niagara Co., N. Y., May 20, 
1856, to Miss Emma, daughter of Marcus and Deb- 

^v.2^5.,, ^.^^ —^-^113 



orah (Manchester) Grinnell, natives of the State of 
New York. Mr. Grinnell came to Chippewa Town- 
ship, this county (walking from Detroit), in the spring 
of 1861, and was employed several years as a Gov- 
ernment blacksmith. He bought several tracts of 
land and at the time of his death owned 80 acres on 
section 31, Chippewa. He died Feb. 22, 1884. He 
held numerous offices, — Supervisor, Justice of the 
Peace, Township Clerk, and was in other ways 
prominent in his locality. He was the maker of 
" Grinnell's Universal Balsam." Mrs. Servoss was 
born in Orleans Co., N. Y., May 14, 1840, and has 
been the mother of seven children, six of whom sur- 
vive : Hiram D., Carrie A., Elmer A., Alonzo D., 
Mina J. and Earl 1*. One died in infancy. 

Mr. S. held the office of Highway Commissioner 
and several school offices. He was a member of the 
Society of Seventh-Day Adventists, as is Mrs. Ser- 
voss. 



m 

I 




rank S. Swreeney, of the firm of Sweeney 
& Co., grocers and provision merchants, 
dealers in crockery, produce and baled 
hay, at Mt. Pleasant, was born in Scarborough, 
near the city of Toronto, Ont., Can., Oct. 31, 
185 1. His parents were Francis and Mary 
(Fox) Sweeney, and belonged to the agricultural 
class in the Dominion. 

Mr. Sweeney became a clerk in a London grocery 
house at the age of 15, but left the business shortly 
after, and at the age of 17 years came to Michigan 
and made the stave business his work for three years. 
Then for a few years he was employed as " land- 
looker," locating land and timber for parties in the 
Saginaws and Bay City. He next engaged in the 
manufacture of staves on his own behalf, and carried 
on the business successfully in Michigan, Ohio and 
Indiana, as opportunities for profitable transfers pre- 
sented. Had not the panic of 1872-3 demoralized 
the markets, Mr. Sweeney would have made a real 
success of the business. From his thorough knowl- 
edge of the timber and early experience he was call- 
ed an expert by many of the leading stave men in 
the State. In 1879 he engaged in the grocery and 
produce trade as an assistant in an establishment at 
Strathroy, Ontario, and in th(; spring of 188 1 located 



A 



<t^DDi>^- 



r 






^ 



^^ 



COUJVTV. 



■^J^^'i^ 



ISABELLA 



T 



) 



V 

s 



503 



at Mt. Pleasant, and formed a partnership with James 
Barry for the prosecution of the business which he 
has since followed. They purchased two very desir- 
able lots near the corner of Main Street and Broad- 
way, and erected the building where they are now 
operating. It is 20 x 90 feet in dimensions, two stories 
high, with brick front, and with an addition in the 
rear 24 x 35, brick fire-proof, with a stone cellar, and 
utilized as a warehouse. They have also built a ware- 
house on Main Street, near the Flint & Pere Mar- 
quette depot, 36 x 55, where they keep a first-class 
Dederick hay-press, and press and ship hay. Its 
capacity is one car-load pei day. Their business is 
prosperous and includes extensive yearly purchases 
and shipments of produce, of which they make a 
specialty. 

Mr. Sweeney was married July 19, 1S81, at Stratli- 
roy, Ont., to Maria T. McNulty. She was born in 
Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney have one daughter, 
Eva, born Aug. 9, 1882, at Mt. Pleasant. In matters 
of religion Mr. Sweeney is a Catholic; in politics a 
staunch Republican. He was elected Treasurer of 
his village and surrounding township in the spring of 
1883, and re-elected in 1884 by one of the largest 
majorities in the county. He has made some money, 
owns some real estate near Mt. Pleasant, and two 
very desirable building lots on Broadway, in that vil- 
lage. 



^4->— ^ 




M. Forbes, farmer and lumlier- 
man on section 20, Chippewa Township, 
is a son of Levi and Charlotte (Hazelton) 
Forbes, native-; of Massachusetts. The par- 
ents settled in Canada, where he died. She 
afterwards removed to her present home in 
Ingham County, this State. 

The subject of this record was born in Canada, 
March 18, r836, and was two and a half years old 
when his mother came to Ingham County. He lived 
at home until 1 4 years old, then worked out by the 
montii till 18, and then learned the cooper's trade. 

March 12, 1856, in Ingham County, he married 
Miss Frances M., daughter of Caleb and Margaret J. 
Hall, natives of the Slate of New York. She was 
also born in the Empire State, June 3, 1839. Of six 
children born of this marriage, three survive, — Date 






and Glenn (twins) and Lulu J. The deceased were 
named VVillard, Jane and Levi. 

Mr. and Mrs. Forbes came to this county in the 
fall of 1872 and bought 160 acres in ChippewaTown- 
ship, where he now has 1 10 acres in a state of profit- 
able cultivation. He keeps 73 cattle, 40 sheep and 
2 horses. Politically, he is an earnest Republican. 
He and wife arc members of the Baptist Church. 



IjtfSi&harles C. Whitney, of the manufacturing 
Caroline E. (Hall) Whitney, and his father 



1^ firm of Jeffords & Whitney, at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, was born in Hopewell, Ontario Co., N. Y. 
June 15, 1844. He is a son of Benjamin and 

was a blacksmith by trade. 

Mr. Whitney was 18 years old when the country 
was thrilled with the news of the rebellious assault 
upon Fort Sumter, and, with the multitudes of the 
young, ardent sons of the Republic, he donned the 
regulation blue and marched to the help of the en- 
dangered Union. He enlisted at Canandaigua, N. 
Y., Nov. 8, 1861, as a private in the i8th Vol. Inf , 
of the Empire State, under Captain H. H. Frote. 
Among the battles in which Mr. Whitney was under 
fire were those at West Point, Va., Gaines' Mill, Sav- 
age Station, Charles City Cross-Roads, Malvern Hilb 
second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fred- 
ericksburg (first and second) and in numberless 
smaller skirmishes common to the fate of war. He 
received honorable discharge May 28, 1863, at Al- 
bany, N. Y., and re-enlisted Nov. 10, 1863, in Co. H, 
Capt. H. C. Thompson, r6th N. Y. Heavy Artillery, 
and received honorable discharge Aug. 21, 1865, 
after the close of tiie war. He was in the engage- 
ments at Fort Pocahontas and at Fort Fisher. The 
only casualty he sustained was an insignificant in- 
jury in the head by a piece of shell, at Gaines" Mill. 

On receiving his well-earned release from the ser- 
vice of his country, he relumed to his native State, 
and in February, r866, he came to Cambria, Hills- 
dale Co., Mich. In April, 1867, in company with 
five other individuals, he came to Saginaw in quest 
of a location. One of the party was his brother, 
William T. Whitney (see sketch), and they made 
their way to the terminus of the railroad at St. John's. 









t 



'^m^ 



% 



m 



:(|s.»- 



504 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-f^t^Jf®^-:i^; 



>? They walked thence to Mt. Pleasant, with which 
^ place they made first acquaintance April 10, 1867. 
.^^ Mr. Whitney operated for a time as a carpenter, 
^ and later as a contractor and builder. In 1880 he 
-§. superintended the construction of the Opera-House 
Block, and in 1881 he formed a partnership with 
George A. Lance, and the firm entered into a con- 
tract to erect the Union School building. Its con- 
struction occupied a year, and at its completion the 
firm terminated its business relations. The present 
partnership of Jeffords & Whitney was formed Dec. 
25, 1881, and has since been in successful operation. 
In 1883 they constructed 16 buildings at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, among them the Unitarian church. Mr. Jeffords 
was the proprietor of the Mt. Pleasant Novelty Works, 
and on combining their interests Mr. Whitney pur- 
chased a half interest in the property. It is utilized 
in the manufacture of doors, sash, etc. In the winter 
of 1883-4 they built the mill where they now operate. 
They employ about 30 assistants, do all kinds of 
building, furnish plans, specifications and detailed 
drawings. They manufacture sash, doors, bUnds, 
rough and finished lumber and ornamental scroll 
work. They own four houses and lots, a blacksmith 
.shop and three vacant lots. Their works include 
three lumber yards, situated respectively by their 
mill, on Wisconsin Street and on Main Street. They 
> ) handle about 3,000,000 feet of lumber yearly, which 
they ship chiefly to Saginaw and Detroit. 

A few months after Mr. Whitney located at Mt. 
Pleasant, he decided to change his condition in life, 
and made a marriage contract with Miss Dora E., 
daughter of George W. and Louisa Howk. Their 
marriage was celebrated Nov. 17, 1867, in the Method- 
ist Episcopal church at Mt. Pleasant, and was the 
first event of that nature within its walls. Mt. Pleas- 
ant had half a hundred inhabitants, and the privileges 
of the place were not of the latest and most approved 
metropolitan order. The only livery in town was a 
joint affair under the auspices of Moses Brown, who 
owned a horse, and David Morse, who was the pos- 
sessor of a harness and a buckboard. With this equip- 
ment, Mr. Whitney set out to fulfill his pre-arranged 
program, and when less than two miles on his route 
to Salt River, where the bride's parents resided, he 
met a man on horseback, who contrived to collide 
with his turn-out and dislocate one of the hind 
wheels. He abandoned the vehicle and returned to 
Mt. Pleasant and borrowed another buckboard, with 



) 






:<$ 



V 



^ 



JSv5^?j!3^ 



the aid of which he succeeded in accomplishing his 
matrimonial intentions. He was, at the time, the 
owner of $146. He paid the minister $5, bought a 
small elevated-oven cook-stove for $37, a barrel of 
flour for $24, and paid proportionately for other do- 
mestic fi.xtures. The period was not long after the 
war, and everj'thing in the way of merchandise was 
high, and had to be transported from St. John's and 
Saginaw by teams. It should be remarked that the 
wedding livery of Mr. Whitney cost him $4. 

Mrs. Whitney was born July 31, 1849, in Houns- 
field Township, Jefferson Co., N. Y. George B., 
eldest child, was born Feb. 8, 1869; Lulu, Nov. 17, 
1874; Charles Francis, March 18, 1873 (died in July, 
1873); Mary L., Nov. 14, 1874; Charles Frederick, 
Aug. 17, 1879. 

Mr. Whitney is a prominent member of the Orders 
of Masonry and Odd-Fellows. In the former he is 
connected with the Royal Arch Chapter and the 
blue lodge at Mt. Pleasant, and in the latter fra- 
ternity he has passed all the chairs. He has also 
represented the local organization at the Grand 
Lodge four times. He is also a member of the Uni- 
tarian Church. He owns an attractive and valuable 
residence at Mt. Pleasant and 30 acres of land on 
section 3, Coe Township. Mrs. Whitney belongs to 
the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



(flfSil? illiS'Da D. McFarren, deceased, late farmer 
||^^3u on section i, (]oe, was a son of Thomas 
jte>'^ * and Clarissa McFarren, natives of Wash- 
J\^' ington Co., N. Y. ; and was born in the same 
jdT' county April 17, 18 15. He lived in that 
*. locality until 1849, when he came with his fam- 
ily to Jackson Co., Mich., where he lived nine years. 
He then removed to Ingham County, where he re- 
mained three years; and in 186 1 he came to Isabella 
County and bought 160 acres of wild land on sec- 
tion I, Coe. He disposed of 80 acres, and of the 
remainder had under cultivation at the time of his 
death about 50 acres. His departure from this life 
occurred Jan. 27, 1884. 

He was married in WHiitehall, Washington Co., N. 
v., March 6, 1839, to Miss Nancy Davis, who was 
born at the place of her marriage, April 14, 1816. 
Her parents, Winans and Nancy (Wilson) Davis, were 



VS 



%> 

f^ 



(■: 
< 

A 



C< 









(> 



% 

r ■ ■ ■ - .^ 



-^^^^^j^m 




CUiA, 



Ct'^y^ 




<•>IlD>:IlIl^>'r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^ 






A 



507 



natives of Washington Co., N. Y. As a coincidence, 
it is worth relating that Mrs. Davis and her daughter 
were born and married in the same room. Mr. and 
Mrs. McF. have had eight children, five of whom 
survive. Their names are Mary J., James H. (de- 
ceased), Arvila (deceased), Clarissa, William W. (de- 
ceased), Seymour C, Leonard H. and Fenner A. 
Mrs. McF. is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 



f^^r rank Davis, farmer on section 15, Coe 
; ^jMJ T Township, is a son of Alden and Susan 
J'^'^ (Casey) Davis, and was born in Isabella 
County, Aug. 28, 1858. He attended the dis- 
trict schools in his boyhood, receiving a limited 
education. Losing his father in the battle of 
the Wilderness, in June, 1864, he lived at honie with 
his mother until 14, and then went lo live with his 
grandfather, P. D. Hams, with whom he remained 
.intil April, 1883. Since then he has been carrying 
on his own farm, and boarding with Robert Wilson. 
Politically, he is a Republican. 




•nmuiaM^r^—%i 



.,^%(mvi^ 



illiam Pickard, Under-Sheriff of Isabella 
County, residing at Mt. Pleasant, was born 
]^^~^ at Tobique, New Brunswick, Oct. 14, 1884, 
'^\> and is a son of John and Margaret (Jones) 
Pickard. His father was a farmer and lum- 
berman, and the son was reared to a knovvl- 
edge of both callings. He went to Old Town, Me., 
when he was 19 years old, and was there engaged in 
active lumber interests four years. In September, 
1868, he came to Isabella County, and after a year's 
labor in the woods he was placed in charge of the 
lumber camp of Gulliver, Remick & Whitney, of 
Detroit. He continued thus engaged between four 
and five years, when he formed a partnership with 
his brother, Thomas Pickard (see sketch), for the 
purpose of engaging in the work of lumbering in his 
own interest. They purchased timber lands and were 
diligently engaged in the various avenues [lertaining 
to lumbering until 1880, when the partnership was 
dissolved. They also trafficked to considerable ex- 
tent in real estate and carried on farming interests. 



but have closed their relations in agricultural matters. 

Mr. Pickard has been engaged one winter since 
that date in lumbering alone. 

In January, 1882, he was appointed Under-SherilT 
by his brother, and has since devoted his attention to 
the duties of the position. He owns his residence 
in block 21, lots I and 2, in Bentley s Addition, and 
is pleasantly situated. He was married in St. Louis 
to Celesiia Walker. She was born in Ohio and is a 
daughter of John and Catherine Walker. The chil- 
dren belonging to the household are Charles and 
.'\iinie. 

Mr. Pickard is one of the most poiiular and genial 
citizens of Mt. Pleasant, and his jwrtrait in this vol- 
ume will afford genuine satisfaction to his numerous 
friends. 



IgW^^avid Tucker, farmer on section 14, Coe 
Ji^^lj^ Township, is a son of Noah and Martha 
Jt^"^ Tucker, natives of Ohio. The parents set- 
& tied in Richland Co , Ohio, and lived there 
till their death. He died June 18, 1863, and 
she March 22, 1883. Their family consisted of 
ten, six sons and four daughters, David being the 
eldest son. 

He was born in Richland Co., Ohio, March 25, 
1835, and lived at home, developing into manhood 
through the usual course of play, school and work on 
the farm, until 22 years old. At the age of 24, Sept. 
I, 1859, he was married to Elizabeth J., daughter of 
Daniel and Roxana (Lyons) Rising, who were natives 
of the State of New York. The father died in Sac 
Co., Iowa, at an unknown date; the mother died in 
Williams Co., Ohio, Feb. 16, 1873. Mrs. Tucker was 
born in Richland Co., Ohio, Aug. 12, 1841. 

After marriage, Mr. 'I'ucker remained for three 
years in Richland Co., Ohio, removing then to Wil- 
liams County, same State, where he bought a farm of 
80 acres and remained nearly 18 years. Disposing 
of that farm, he came in the spring of i88[ to Isa- 
bella County and bought 60 acres of improved land 
ill Coe Township, where he has since made his home. 
In 1882 he erected a comfortable dwelling which will 
compare favorably with any in his part of the county. 
Politically, Mr. T. is a Republican. 

The six children surviving are named Mary J., 
Warren L., Edward F., Ada E., Martha A. and Jen- 






c-o: 



^ 



B^V5^«$i#- 



.:ss^^ 



■^< ^D % W>^''^ ^tv/j^=^^ 



■^|>5^^ 




^^^^K — ^vC:iiii>;nDs>r 



■>i3\5(!r'- 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



jj» nie M. The deceased were Icabinda, George A., 
i§) Florence B., Charles E., Eli W., Arthur and Willie 
!v^ B. Mrs. Tucker died Aug. 5, 1882. She was an 
f active member of the society known as the " Church 
(§. of God." Mr. T.'s parents also belonged to this 
Church. 



A 



>C) 



V 






% 




ames J. Campbell (deceased), late farmer 
on section 34, Coe Township, was a son of 
James R. and Catherine Campbell, and 
the eldest son in a family of 13 children. He 
was born in Carroll Co., Ohio, May 30, 1838, 
and lived in Ohio until November, 1867, when 
he came to Isabella County. He bought 160 acres 
of land in Coe Township, and at the time of his 
death had about 80 acres under cultivation. 

He was married in Carroll Co., Ohio, May 3, i860, 
to Elizabeth, daughter of George and Elizabeth 
(Caskey) Moore, natives of Ireland and Ohio. She 
was born in Carroll County, May 2, 1841, and is the 
mother of seven children, — George (died when five 
years old), Kate, Martha, William, James R., Frank 
and Effie E. Mr. C. died Nov. 28, 1875. He was 
a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mrs. 
C. is a member of the Disciples' Church. 



'*iESii- '''•'ti'-iel Blake, resident at Mt. Pleasant, was 
born Jan. 28, 1816, on Grand Isle, Vt. His 
parents, John and Philura (Campbell) 
Blake, removed from their island heme on Lake 
Champlain to the Township of Georgia 
Franklin Co., Vt., in 1824, where Mr. Blake 
attained his majority. He was bred to the calling of 
his father, tliat of a farmer, which he pursued many 
years. 

He was married Jan. 28, 1840, in St. Alban's, Vt., 
to Amanda Loverin, a native of Greenbush, Can. 
After a residence of four years in Swanton, Vt., they 
went to Winnebago Co., 111., where Mr. Blake be- 
came the owner by purchase of 200 acres of land, 
160 acres of prairie and 40 acres in timber. It was 
located in what is now Durand Township. In 1858 
Mr. Blake rented his property and went to the city 
of Rockford, in oider to secure the superior ediica- 






V^ 



tional advantages afforded by its schools. Mrs. 
Blake died in Rockford, March 12, 1872, aged 57 
years. Three children constituted the issue of her 
marriage : Buel J., Elizabeth (Mrs. W. E. Harrs : 
see sketch), and Amelia. The latter became the 
wife of Walter Van Alstyne, of Rockford, and died 
Nov. I, 1869, aged 21 years. The son became a 
soldier for the union in the war of the rebellion. 
He enlisted in Co. K, 74th 111. Vol. Inf. His regi- 
ment was attached to the command of Gen. Sherman, 
and Buel Blake was in many of the engagements of 
the corps. He was killed June 27, 1864, at the battle 
of Kenesaw Mountain. Mr. Blake, of this sketch, 
became a resident of Mt. Pleasant in 1874. 



illiam E. Harris, of the firm of Harris Bros., 
proprietors of the Mt. Pleasant Flouring 
s^J^^P Mills, was born April 15, 1841, in London, 
Eng., and is the son of William S. and Sarah 
A. (Heath) Harris. In 1852 he and his 
father came to the United States and proceeded di- 
rectly to Greenville, Montcalm Co., Mich. His 
father bought 40 acres of land in the township of 
Montcalm, and began to prepare for the comfortable 
location of his family, who followed in September of 
the same year. He died on the farm in New York^ 
in September, 1854; the mother is still living, at Mt. 
Pleasant. 

In 1859 Mr. Harris went to Greenville to learn his 
trade. He spent two years in a grist-mill, acquiring 
all the details of the business, and in i86i went to 
Rockford, Winnebago Co., 111., where he remained 
nine years employed as a miller. He was married 
there to Elizabeth Blake. She was born March 12, 
1846, in Illinois, and is the daughter of Samuel and 
.Amanda (Loverin) Blake. Minnie, born in Decem- 
ber, 1869, and Sanimie, born in December, 1873, are 
the names of the two children now included in the 
family circle. 

In 1872 Mr. Harris came to Mt. Pleasant, and, as- 
sociated with his brother John, bought the site of 
their mill. It was in heavy limber, and they pro- ^, 
ceeded to clear and improve the property in genuine ^ 
frontier fashion. They began building on a small {. 
scale, erecting a mill 30 by 40 feet, in dimensions, ^ 






c^: 



^; 



r 



^■. 



<mMWi>^9 ^'^^^ 






ii'ish''^^^ 



V 



V 



'~^ 



T--7<-:I]a^IlIls>T^ 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^Uhiir'v 



with two run of stones. The structure has been en- 
larged and its facilities increased, and is now 42 by 
62 feet in extent, and three and a half stories in 
height. The fixtures include one run of stones and 
ten pairs of rollers, affording a capacity of 100 barrels 
of flour daily. They do merchant and exchange 
work, and employ five assistants. The firm of Harris 
Bros, includes the brothers William, John and Henry 
G., and Warner Churchill, a brother-in-law. The 
works are usually in operation night and day, and in 
the fall of the year they ship large quantities of grain. 
The firm are also interested in the manufacture and 
shipment of hoops. " The Government Mill Prop- 
erty," including 100 acres of land, is owned by the 
Harris Bros. 




V 



eorge M. Gould, farmer on section 18, Coe 
Iji i, yp^<i \^ Township, is a son of James W. and Mari- 
m^ ette (Sisson) Gould, natives^ of the State of 
New York, and was born in Ionia Co., Mich., 
July 17, 1847, in which county he lived most 
of the time until he came to Isabella County, in 
the summer of 1865. That year he bought 20 acres 
on section 18, Coe Township, to which he has since 
added 77 acres. He has now 50 acres improved. 

He was married in Coe Township, June 8, 1869, 
to Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel and Olive Brickley, 
natives of New York State. Mrs. G. was born in 
Summit, Jackson Co., Mich., Sept. 6, 1851. Mr. G. 
is a member of the I.-O. O. F., and is politically a 
Democrat. He was appointed Deputy Sheriff in Jan- 
uary, 1883, of which ixjsition lie is still incumbent. 



Sssharles E. Westlake, Postmaster at Mt. 
al te^^ Pleasant and dealer in drugs, medicines, 
sip wall paper, etc., was born Aug. 20, 1853, at 
f)L Long Lake, Mich., and is a son of Rev. Eli 
V- and Mary E. (Waterman) Westlake. His 
father was a minister of the Methodist Episco- 
pal Church, and passed most of his life in the active 
duties of his profession in Michigan. 

Mr. Westlake was a pupil in the common schools 
until he reached the age of 14 years, when he was 




sent to the College at Albion, in Calhoun Co., Mich., 
where he pursued a classical course of study four 
years. In 1869 he went to the gold mines of Wyo- 
ming Territory, in company with his father, and there 
spent about eight months. He returned East, and in 
1870 he came to Mt. Pleasant. Soon after his^ arrival, 
in company with J. W. Long, he engaged in the drug 
business, continuing to operate in tliat connection 
three years. 

In December, 1872, Mr. Westlake was appointed 
Postmaster at Mt. Pleasant, and has continued to 
discharge the duties of the position since to the sat- 
isfaction of the public. He received a re-appoint- 
ment in 1883 for four years. He re-opened his drug 
store in October, 1881, and is engaged in the trans- 
action of a prosperous business His stock is valued 
at $3,000, and his trade recpiires the aid of two 
assistants. 

Mr. Westlake was married Feb. 18, 1879, at Mt. 
Pleasant, to Jennie, daughter of Lorenzo and Virginia 
Graves. Mrs. Westlake was born July 8, 1861, in 
Warsaw, Ky. 



'ames Barry, of the firm of Sweeney & Co., 
r dealers in groceries, crockery, produce, 
seeds, baled hay, etc., at Mt. Pleasant, was 
born May 24, 1852, in Toronto, Can. He is a 
son of John and Johanna (Harrington) Barry, 
and was reared on a farm. When he was 18 
years old he became a sailor on the great lakes and 
followed that vocation about 18 months. At the ex- 
piration of that time he returned to the profession of 
agriculture, and bought 120 acres of land in Mid- 
dlesex Co., Can., where he managed business as a 
farmer and stock-dealer. 

In November, 1881, he came to Mt. Pleasant and 
formed a partnership with F. A. Sweeney in the bus- 
iness referred to. They bought the site of the build- 
ing where they now transact business, and erected 
the same. It is 90 by 20 feet in extent, two stories 
high, with a brick front. Connected therewith, is a 
fire-proof warehouse two stories in height. They 
carry a well assorted stock of goods, and are operat- 
ing successfully. In the fall of 1883 they built their 
warehouse on Main Street, near the Flint & Pere 







V^ 



(5 



^Si^^f^ 



j:-^ 



mrmi^^^r^- — ^^^^ 



-*<&-,-♦'"— 



M 



m 



'7<m:$^m> 



yv-'^ 



-4^^^C(®^^^ 









Si° 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Marquette Railroad depot, where they press hay. 
The machine has a capacity of one car load per day, 
and the firm also deal heavily in produce. 



— «- 




#-^ 



Ijl'l^j^llen J. Struble, M. I)., residing at Salt 
River, is a son of J. J. and Harriet F. (Os- 
borne) Stnible (sec sketch of J. J. Struble), 
and was born in Fulton Co., Ohio, April 14, 
I 1853. He was 14 yearsof age when the family 
came to this county. He attended first the district 
school, then two terms at the graded school of Day- 
ton, Ohio, and finally graduated at the Ohio Medical 
College at Cincinnati. Completing his studies, he 
formed a partnership with his father, J. J. Struble, at 
Salt River, where he has since continued in the prac- 
tice of his profession. 

He was married at Alma, Gratiot Co., Mich., Jan. 
I, 1875, to Annie A., daughter of Richard Hoy, of 
Coe Township. Two children, Nellie and Grace G., 
have been added to the household. 

Dr. S. is politically a Republican. He is a mem- 
ber of the I. O. O. F. and F. & A. M., and has been 
Clerk of his township for three years. 




J OSes Brown, merchant at Mt. Pleasant, 
was born in October, 1829, in Poland. 
J=_'' He is the son of Samuel and Hannah 
< A (Jalinski) Brown, natives of Poland, where 
■■)?■ they both died. His father was a merchant, 
and the son was trained to the same business, 
entering the store at i6. When he was 19 years old 
lie accompanied his father to the United States and 
settled in the city of New York, where they remained 
two years, Mr. Brown, of this sketch, operating mean- 
while as a peddler, in order to maintain himself 
while he obtained a knowledge of the language and 
customs of the people of this country. His father 
and himself were in jxassession of one dollar in money 
on their arrival, but found friends in New York they 
had known in their native land. The father was a 
tailor by trade, and he found employment without 
difficulty, and they were soon in comfortable cinunn- 
stances. 

Mr. Brown found his calling as a peddler remun- 



erative, and he continued to follow it about 20 years. 
He came to Detroit about 1851, and in i86r, on the 
breaking out of the war of the Rebellion, he became 
a soldier, enlisting at St. John's, Clinton County, in 
Co. B, Eighth Mich. Vol. Inf., Capt. Pratt. Mr. 
Brown was in the military service of the United 
States three years, and was attached to the Army of 
the Potomac. Among the engagements in which he 
participated was the siege of Beaufort, Fort Pulaski, 
Savannah, Fort Sumter, Newport News, Culpeper 
Court-House, Bull Run (second), Fredericksburg and 
numberless minor skirmishes. He returned to Mich- 
igan after receiving honorable discharge, and in the 
spring of r865 he came to Mt. Pleasant. 

He at once opened a general mercantile establish- 
ment, which he has since conducted. He is also as- 
sociated with Frederick Dane in buying furs, hides, 
farmers' produce, etc., operating somewhat after the 
method of pioneer countries, keeping a sort of trading 
post. Mr. Brown has a ware-house at Mt. Pleasant, 
where he traffics in lime, coal, cement and general 
building materials. He also owns his residence and 
60 acres of land adjoining the village corporation on 
the east, 40 acres southwest of the village on section 
r4 of Union Township, and 80 acres on section 17 of 
Lincoln Township. He is a member of the Masonic 
Order. 

Mr. Brown was married May 20, r868, in Detroit 
to Mary Farinbacher, a native of Bavaria. She was 
born March r5, r849. Si.K children have been born 
of the union; they are Anna, Samuel, Jennie, Alice, 
Fannie and Harry. 

The father of Mr. Brown returned to his estates in 
Poland in 1853, where he died, in r87o. 



^ t oreen H. Parsons, farmer on section t^t,, 
Coe Township, is a son of Worham and 
Chloe (Harmon) Parsons, natives of Con- 
necticut. The parents first settled in Connect- 
icut, then lived one year in Ontario Co., N. Y., 
and then made their last move, to Geauga Co., 
Ohio, where they died, he in August, r855, and she 
Sept. 23, same year. 

I'he subject of this narrative was born in Geauga 
Co , Ohio, June ro, r8r8, received a common-school 
education and remained at home until about 20 years 
of age. He learned the trade of blacksmithing, which 




'^i.: 



1 



V' 






c-o: 



V 



(^■■^ 






-sii^^- 



A<^iiii^iin;>^ 



M 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



he followed about 15 years. In June, 1856,116 came 
to Isabella County and bought 80 acres on section 
30, Coe Township, which he worked five years. Sell- 
ing out, he then purchased an eiiual tract on section 
33, where he now resides. He has 45 acres under 
cultivation. 

He was married in Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, Oct. 281 
1838, to Permelia, daughter of Nicanor and Lovisa 
Munson, natives of the State of New York. She was 
born in Chenango Co., N. Y., May 7, 1820, and has 
been the mother of five children, three of whom sur- 
vive : Sidney N., Harvey S. and Horace A. -The de- 
ceased are Alonzo C. and Elizabeth A. 

Mr. P. has held the different school offices in his 
district, and in the spring of 1881 he was elected 
Justice of the Peace, which office he continues to 
hold. Mr. and Mrs. P. are members of the Method- 
ist Episcopal Church. Politically, Mr. P. is a Re- 
publican. 




jajor James Webb Long, Editor of the 
Mt. Pleasant Times, was born at Hills- 

^^ - ' borough. Orange Co., N. C, June 20, 1840. 

I'X. \ His father, Edwin R. Long, was an officer 
in the Second Regt. U. S. Reg. Inf., and, when 
James was an infant, was ordered to Buffalo, 
N. Y., where the regiment was stationed at the bar- 
racks. Major Casey being in command. In 1844 it 
was ordered to Detroit and stationed at the bairacks. 
Col. Hugh Brady being in command, with his head- 
quarters in the city, — or village, as it was then. The 
location of the barracks is now a point of historical 
interest. Arbeiter Hall stands near what was the 
center of the old barracks, and the wooden building 
standing back of it is the one that was occu[)icd 
by Lieuts. Long and Burnett. 

Lieut. E. R. Long had read medicine, and gradu- 
ated at Rush Medical College, Chicago, intending to 
resign; but in a post-mortem examination he cut his 
finger, resulting in erysipelas, from which he died in 
a few days; and Lieut. I. R. D. Burnett, who had 
nursed him tenderly, caught the infection and died a 
week afterwards, and both are buried in Elmwood 
Cemetery. 

From Detroit, Major Long's mother, with her three 
children, went to North Carolina, wiiere they re- 




1- 



o 



A 



mained for one year, returning from there to BulTalo, 
where they lived until 185 i. During this time Mrs. 
Long married William Lovering, Jr., and the family 
lived happily together until her death in 1851. A 
short time after her death, the subject of this biogra- 
phy was sent to North Carolina to complete his edu- 
cation under the care of his ])aternal grandfather, 
Hon. John Long, of Randolph County. While there, 
he attended the Collegiate Institute, presided over 
by Rev. Simeon Collon, D. D., first President of Am- 
herst College, and there he graduated in the higher 
branches, including the languages. He went into the 
stores of James Webb and P. Brown Rufifin, of Hills- 
Iwrough, where he learned mercantile customs and 
also practical book-keeping. Afterwards he studied 
medicine under his uncle, Dr. J. Wesley Long, a 
graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, 
and read law under another uncle, Hon. William J. 
Long, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, 
at Chapel Hill. 

In 1859, he again came North to visit relatives in 
Buffalo, and after being employed in various occupa- 
tions, he secured the position of local editor of the 
Buffalo Commercial Advertiser, afterwards as corre- 
spondent of the Buffalo Courier, and still later as 
Washington correspondent of the BulTalo Commercial 
Advertiser, also at the time being a paid contributor 
to and correspondent of Russell & Tolman's " Boston 
Musical Journal^' then the leading publication of its 
kind in America. 

While in Washington, he became acquainted, 
through a letter of introduction, with Mrs. Edith 
Grimsley, a cousin of Mrs. President Lincoln's, then 
residing at the Executive Mansion. Mrs. Grimsley ^ 
procured for him, as a personal fiivor to herself, an g'v 
appointment as Second Lieutenant in the Second f/ 
Regular Infantry (his father's old regiment), his com- 
mission dating August 5, i86r. He was ordered 
to join his company, B, then at Rolla, Mo., and pro- 
ceeded there at once. He found a brigade of regular 
troops, composed of three companies of the First In- 
fantry, two of the Second, Crittenden's and Stanley's 
cavalary, and Totten's and Sokalski's batteries of 
artillery, under the command of Gen. Fred Steele. 
Lieut. Long was appointed acting Assistant Adjutant 
(General of the brigade, besides having command of 
his company. From Rolla the command was ordered 



c 



ii 



<'i 



.- % 

to St. Louis, where, as survivors of the battle of Wil- ^ 

V 



p 



^tf^* 



514 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-^-^^^^^^' 



'•■>A^.- 






'•<>') 



■^ , . . = 

V^ son's Creek, they met with a grand reception. From 
',R St. Louis, they were ordered (after a short stay at 
;_^ Benton Barracks) to Jefferson City, at which place 
I Lieut. Long was taken down with typhoid fever, and 
-<, sent to St. Louis for medical treatment. From tliere, 
'^ after his convalescence, he joined his company at 
Sedalia, Mo., from which place he was ordered to 
Washington, where the regimental headquarters were 
established. 

He spent the winter of 1 86 1-2 in Washington on 
provost duty, and marched into Virginia with the 
Army of the Potomac under McClellan. The cam- 
paigns of that army having become a matter of com- 
mon history, it is not necessary to take space here to 
record them. At the battle of Gaines' Mill, Va., 
June 27, 1862, Lieut. Long was severely wounded, 
being shot in the foot, the left wrist, and through the 
right side of the face, thoroughly disabling him. 

He returned to Buffalo, on sick leave, and was 

ordered after a while on duty as recruiting officer. 

From there he was ordered to rejoin his regiment in 

the field, but on his arrival at Washington he was 

ordered to report to Maj. Gen. S. P. Heintzelnian, 

commanding the Department, for duty as mustering 

!=c officer. After being stationed at Washington and 

\y Arlington House (being on the staff of Gen. De 

Russy), he was promoted to a Captaincy and ordered 

O to join his regiment at Beverly Ford, Va. (1863). 

From there the regiment was ordered to New York, 

to assist in quelling the draft riots, after which they 

returned to their old camp at Beverly Ford. 

From here they took part in the Virginia cam- 
paigns, Major Long being in command of his regi- 
J ment most of the time, participating in the battles of 
% the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, from which place 
\ he was ordered to Alexandria, for medical treatment, 
and from there to Annapolis, Md., where he was 
placed in military command of the Officers' Hospital. 
From there he was ordered to Louisville, Ky., on 
mustering duty; from there to Newport Barracks, on 
recruiting service ; from there to Trenton, N. J., and 
(c^ while there he filled the positions of recruiting officer, 
I mustering officer, disbursing officer. Assistant Adju- 

ttant General, Post Adjutant, in charge of draft and 
credits, A. A. Q. M. and A. A. C. S. 
^i^ From Trenton he was ordered to Newport Bar- 
■ i) racks, Ky.; from there to Louisville, Ky.; from there 
>^ the command of tlie post of Jeffersonville, Indiana; 



from there to Louisville; from there to the command 
of the post of Warsaw, Ky., at which place, Feb. 19, 
1867, he was married to Miss Annie Graves, a 
daughter of Hon. L. Graves. From Warsaw, he was 
ordered back to Louisville, and from there to A*- 
lanta, Ga., where he was left on waiting orders on 
account of physical disabilitj resulting from his 
wounds, and ordered to await orders at Warsaw, Ky. 

\Vhile there he was detailed as Lidian Agent for 
the State of Michigan and ordered to Detroit, to re- 
lieve William H. Brockway. Major Long held the 
position of Indian Agent during the most important 
period of its existence. The country in which the 
Indian reservations were situated, was being stunted 
in their growth by the Indian lands not being taxable 
or the titles transferable. Major Long set to work 
earnestly, and to him Isabella County owes the pres- 
ent flourishing condition of its northern portion by 
reason of his procuring the Indians their patents 
from the Government. Although the duties were 
onerous and in hundreds of cases required the most 
critical judgment, as he was necessarily the sole ar- 
biter and judge, yet with different interests pressing 
their claims- upon him, he so conducted the immense 
business that when he resigned he carried with him 
not only the respect of all classes of citizens, but the 
unqualified endorsement and confidence of the In- 
dian Department at Washington, and the lasting 
good will of his Indian wards. 

He filled the above position until iS7i,when he 
resigned, removing first to Saginaw and afterwards to 
Isabella County, where he now resides. He received, 
during his military service, two brevets, both being 
for gallant and meritorious services in action; one 
being for brevet Captain for Gaines' Mill, Va., and 
the other for brevet Major for the Wilderness, Va. 

Shortly after settling in Isabella County, Major 
Long assumed the editorship of the Isabt-lla County 
Enh'ipiise, holding the position for four years, and 
building it up from a weakly folio into a vigorous 
quarto. Afterwards he became editor of the Mt. 
Pleasant Times, and Nov. 19, 1879, he purchased 
the office which he is at present conducting. In 
April, 1884, he purchased the FarwcU Rc^ishr, which 
he also controls. 

Major Long's connection with journalism dates 
back a good many years, beginning as a paid literary 
contributor to the Newbern (N. C.) Daily Progress, 



V^ 



(■ 









(c 



(■ 



gKV©)«^l« 



^^-^^^t^^ 




i^:^/^D)^t#^ 



<^lll]^llll>>r- 



rr- 



'2Rifi)'-~^ 



(h 






>^ 



V 

> 






t 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 






in 1858, under the nows de plume of "Gabriella," 
'Phixanella " and " Florine." After his return North 
^9 he became associated with journalism again as be- 
fore stated, and, besides being on the regular staff 
and correspondent of the Boston Musical Journal, 
he also at times has contributed articles to some of 
the leading magazines, notably among others, Frank 
Leslie's publications. Major Long has also had 36 
pieces of original music published, all of whicli have 
met with a good sale, while a good percentage jiave 
met with a flattering reception from the public. 

His family is a decidedly political and literary one. 
% His grandfather, John Long, of Randolph Co., N. C, 
represented his district in Congress for eight years; 
while two of his uncles were in the State Legislature. 
One of them, James A., was also editor of the Greens- 
borough (N. C.) Patriot. A cousin, Hon. William 
H. Milliard, of Alabama, has been Governor of that 
r\\ State, United States Senator, Minister to Belgium, 
Vr and latterly Minister to Brazil. On his mother's side 
another cousin, Hon. Graham N. Fitch, of Logans- 
port, Lid., has been United States Senator from that 
State. His wife, formerly Miss Graves, is also re- 
lated to some of our most notable men. Her father 
was Judge of the Court in the district in which he 
resided, and by maternal descent she is related to Gen. 
Wade Hampton, of North Carolina; on her father's 
side she is related to the Bran hams of Virginia. 

Major Long's family is one well known in the 
Regular Army. His father graduated at the United 
States Military Academy at West Point, in 1829, and 
subsequently married Phebe Ann Fitch. Tlie issue 
of this marriage were John O., Helen M. and James 
W. John Osmond graduated at West Point in 1854, 
and was assigned to the Second Lifantry. Helen 
M., his sister, married William Montgomery (Gard- 
ner, a Captain in the same regiment, who was a 
graduate of the class of 1846. Two maternal aunts 
were married to two Lieutenants in the same regi- 
ment, viz.: Charlotte Fitch to Lieut. L R. D. Bur- 
nett, and Jane l-'itcli to Lieut. Alex. T. Hoffman. So 
that from 1829 to 1871, the date of Major Long's 
resignation, there has always been a representative 
of the family in the regiment. Lieut. Alex. T. Hoff- 
man's son, Alexander W., graduated in 1864, but was 
assigned to the loth Infantry. In the Navy tlie family 
was represented by Lieut. Commander Le Roy Fitch. 
The regimental record is as follows: Lieut. !■>. R. 



(^ 



t 



K^ 



^|kv®))€^|.. ^^^^ 



Long, from 1829 to 1846; Lieut. Alex. T. Hoffman, 
from 1830 to 1839; Lieut. I. R. D. Burnett, from 
1830 to 1846; Capt. William M. Gardner, from 1846 
to 1 86 1, afterwards Brigadier General in the Confed- 
erate Army; Lieut. John O. Long, from 1854 lo 1861, 
afterwards Colonel of the 22d Reg. N. C. T., C. S. A; 
Major James W. Long, from 1861 to 187 1. 

The early life of the subject of this sketch was 
passed in garrison and in army circles, having been 
born and reared in the army, where money came and 
went easily, and his boyhood days having been spent i 
under the protection of his grandfather, who was one ^ ■ 
of the rich planters in the South. His first experience [. 
of civilian life, where for himself he had to meet the 
world, where the motto was " Every man for himself 
and the Devil take the hindmost," was when he re- 
signed his commission and came to Isabella County 
to live in the fall of 187 i. 

Having had occasion to visit this county by reason ( ' 
of his duties as Indian Agent, and wishing to settle •; 
in a new place, he invested in property there. On ^ 
removing here he first platted a town called Long- ^ 
wood, where he opened a drug-store. The place (V/ 
seemed to grow, by reason of the trade engendered = 
by the presence of the Government's Indian grist and 
saw mills; but as they were burned and not rebuilt, he 
opened a store at Mt. Pleasant and purchased prop- 
erty here, building the St. James Hotel block in 1874, 
shortly after he had completed his residence. Hav- 
ing brought considerable means with him, he en- 
deavored to run a drug-store for the benefit of the 
people, having one at Longwood and another at Mt. 
Pleasant. The temperance people having impor- 
tuned him successfully to disassociate the sale of 
wines and liquors from his business, and finding that 
a drug-store could not be run successfully in a new 
town without that, and his tastes being of a literary 
turn naturally, he sold out and devoted himself to 
journalism. 

Tlicrc have I)een five cliildren born to Major and 
Mrs. Long: James Hampton, born at Louisville, 
Ky., April 4, 1868; Edwin Ramsey and Henry Daw- 
son, twin boys, born at Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 3, 
1069; Annie Fitch, born at Mt. Pleasant, Nov. 21, *4* 
1873; and Montgomery Gardner, born at Mt. Pleas- \']j 
ant, Nov. 26, 1878. Out of all these, around whom tr^ 
so many hopes were woven and so much affection - , 
given, only one remains to the stricken couple. James ^ 



( 



i. 



%m<^ 



-^^ 



■?N<5i_ 







ISABELLA COUNTY. 



«#t^f®vB 



f« 



^ 



/^ 



Hampton died in infancy, at Louisville, Ky., June 

29, 186S; Henry Dawson died at Mt. Pleasant, Nov. 

19, 1880, at the age of 1 1 years ; Edwin Ramsay died 

at Mt. Pleasant, Dec. 6, i88o; and Montgomery 

Gardner died at Mt. Pleasant, Dec. i i, 1880, aged 1 1, 

leaving only one child, Annie Filch. 

T,(ist tn tlioir rliildhoixT-; sweet promise, 
l-ost to their youtlfs lin-iii;;- sti-il'e. 
Tjost to their nianhooiVs pi-imil ^lory, 
Lost to tlieir liarvest of life. 

This severe visitatiori of Death was a most ter- 
rible one, their two twin boys 1 1 years old and 
their two-year old baby, all being taken from them in 
22 days by that terrible pestilence, diphtheria; and 
we cannot wonder that, although the Major is still a 
hard and earnest worker, yet both himself and wife 
cannot feel resigned to their terrible loss, but can 
only wait as patiently as they can, until some day it 
will be all more plain why they were so afflicted, and 
when they hope to see and kiss their little ones once 
more. Of course the portrait of Maj. Long appears 
in this Album, on a preceding page. 



i saac Ingersoll, farmer on section 26, Coe 
Township, is a son of Daniel D. and Eunice 
(Burton) Ingersoll, natives of Connecticut. 
The parents left that State for New York, and 
settled in Cortland County, where they died. 
The subject of this biography was born in 
Fairfield Co., Conn., and was a year and a half old 
when his parents removed to New York. He lived 
at home until 20 years old, and then worked at car- 
pentry for two years, and becoming acquainted with 
the use of tools he spent three years in learning the 
carpenter and joiner's trade in Otsego Co., N. Y. 
He then came to Ingham Co., Mich., where he fol- 
lowed his trade for three years. In the spring of 
1856, he came to Isabella County and took up 160 
acres of wild land in Coe Township, under tlie (Grad- 
uation Act. He now owns 120 acres, 80 of which 
are in a good tillable condition. 

He was first married in Cortland Co., N. Y., May 
3, 1846, to Jane Tripp, a daughter of Daniel and 
Betsey Tripp, born Oct. 9, (829. Of this marriage 
12 children have been born, nine of whom survive: 
Lewis 13., Henry A., Sarah J., Isaac F., Alfred M., 
Charles, George, Edwin F. and Arthur C. Tlie de- 
ceased are Amanda R,, Inis J. and Mary A. Mrs. 




I. dying Sept. 4, 1873, he was again married, at St. 
Louis, Gratiot County, March 23, 1875, to Lizzie A., 
daughter of David and Lydia (Huber) Dutt, and 
widow of Conrad Riess, who died in Venango Co., 
Pa., June 19, 1868. Mrs. I. was born in Venango 
Co., .Pa., March i, 1843. She has by her first mar- 
riage three sons, Henry K., Conrad V. and Charles 
L., and by her second, two daughters, Emma M. and 
Flora E. 

Mr. I. has been Constable two years, Justice of the 
Peace four years and Township Treasurer one year. 
He is jwlitically a Republican, and religiously, he 
and wife are members of the Disciples' Cluircli. 

]j: rville W. Stebbins was liorii June 19, 1861, 
in Bethany Township, Gratiot County, four 
miles north of St. Louis. His parents, Wil- 




liam L. and Lucinda (Francisco) Stebbins, re- 
moved, when he was three years of age, to the 
village of St. Louis. His father spent some 
time there working at his trade as machinist, and is 
now managing a boot and shoe store. 

Mr. Stebbins employed his youthful years in the 
acquirement of his education, and at the age of 19 
began to fit himself for the business of a harness- 
maker. He learned the details of that vocation with 
thoroughness and opened a shop at Ithaca, which 
was owned by his brother, F. A. Stebbins. He con- 
tinued its management one year, when he went to 
Solomon Valley, Kansas, and spent seven months 
herding sheep. In May. 1883, he came to Mt. Pleas- 
ant and formed an association with Herbert W. 
Bennett, in the music business, afterwards being in 
partnership witli B. F. Kyes. In Aj)ril, 1884, he 
withdrew and is now traveling in the West. 



>f;'p^jjCesse D. Frost, farmer on section 15, Coe 

dltMilf Township, is a son of John J. and Marga- 

|!^5,S'' ~^ ret T. (.^damy) Frost, natives of New Jer- 

%\} sey and New York, and was born in Che- 

ir mung Co., N. Y., July 22, 1828. At the age 

I of seven, he came with his parents to Portage 

Co., Ohio, going thence to Crawford Co., Pa. In the 

latter county he lived continuously from that time till 

April, 1876, when he came to this county and bought 






K^ 



c 



^ 



^>! 






r 



-^si^^ 



I 

e%*' 



^^/«)$«^^ 



-^^K — r^v<>tll]:t:illis> 



'• 
/s 



>? 



V 



T 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



T 



1 20 acres on section 15, Coe Township. Of this 
farm he has now 60 acres under cuhivation. 

He was married in Venango Co., Pa., Jan. 1, 1S62, 
to Nancy E., daughter of William and Jane Shank, 
natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. F. was born Feb. 23, 
1844, in the county in which she was married. Mr. 
and Mrs. Frost are the liappy parents of five chil- 
dren : William J., Diana E., Samuel E, M.iria J. 
and Robert J. 

Mr. F. is politically a Democrat. Mrs. F. is a 
conscientious member of the United P)rethren 
Church. 



■ IkT^Y'"'' vee Estee, resident at Mt. Pleasant, was 
in Dec. 12, 1856, in Coe Township, Isa- 
.t;lla County. He is a son of Perry H. 



^1^ and Carrie E. (Dole) Estee, who reside in Coe 
Jk^ Township. He was one of the first children 
i born in that section of Isabella County, and is 
a member of one of the most prominent representa- 
tive pioneer families of Northern Michigan. He was 
reared on his father's farm to the age of 16 years, 
attending winter terms of school. After reaching 
that age he engaged alternately in teaching and at- 
tending at the union school of Mt. Pleasant and 
the Commercial College at Grand Rapids. In 1876 
he began to read law in the office of S. W. Hopkins, 
of Mt. Pleasant, and in the fall of 1877 he entered 
the Law Department of the University at Ann Arbor, 
where he was graduated in the spring of 1879. After 
taking his degree he taught one term of school, and 
in 1879 went to Greenville, Ohio, and, associated 
with J. C. Royan, opened a law office. The relation 
closed in February, 1881, when he returned to Mt. 
Pleasant. He devoted the autumn of 1880 to cam- 
paign duty for the Republican party in Ohio. 

On returning to Mt. Pleasant he formed a partner- 
ship with S. W. Hopkins. The connection was dis- 
solved in the fall of 1881, since which date he has 
managed the business of his office singly. He has 
officiated two years as School Examiner, and is at 
present Justice of Peace and School Inspector. In 
1882 he was named by the popular voice for State 
Senator, but peremptorily declined, although his nom- 
ination and election were practically secure. In 
addition to the regular business pertaining to his 
profession, he is managing collections and real-estate 




interests. He owns considerable property at Mt. 
Pleasant, including his fine residence, which he built 
in 1882, and two lots connected therewith, a house 
and two lots on Fancher Avenue and Illinois Siieet, 
besides two business lots on Main Street. 

Mr. Estee was married Feb. 28, 1883, at Mt. 
Pleasant, to Mary, daughter of Charles and Naomi 
Stirling. She was born Feb. 29, 1864. Mr. Estee is 
a ready and fluent speaker, and is known as an active 
and influential advocate of the principles of his polit- 
ical connection in the local campaigns. He possesses 
brilliant literary abilities, and has been for a number 
of years a frequent contributor to various journals. 
His al)ilities and characteristics are winning for him 
a substantial recognition among business men, and 
he is secure of future advancement in his profession 
and business relations. 



F'Tt^.I uni.s W. Swart, for 16 years a resident of Mt. 



XslaV Pleasant, and for two and a Iialf terms 



WW^ "^ Sheriff of Isabella County, is a son of Tunis 
' fe J^ and Rhoda (Riggs) Swart, and was born in 
Orleans Co., N. Y., Feb, 27, 1836. While he 
was an infant, his father moved to Michigan, 
settling in Homer Township, Calhoun County, and 
soon afterward buying a farm of 80 acres in Claren- 
don Township, same County, where he died, Oct. 17, 
1855. His wife died in September, 1857, at the 
same place. 

The son was reared on that farm, and when 17 
years old learned the cooper's trade, which he fol- 
lowed in various places for 12 years. He came, in 
October, 1865, to Mt. Pleasant, and bought 20 acres 
on section 26, Union Township, where he resided two 
and a half years. His residence was next in Mt. 
Pleasant, as Sheriff of the county. In 187 i he opened 
a grocery and provision store, which he carried on 
until 1880. In the summer of 1878 he built a fine 
brick store on the corner of Main and Michigan 
Streets, 2214 X70 feet in size, two stories and a base- 
ment, with a barn in the rear. In this building he 
did business for the last two years before he retired 
He has also built a fine brick residence, on two lots 
on Main street, south of his store, and owns a dwell- 
Mig and lot on the corner of Washington and Wiscon- 









(9 



(o) 



^(^"•W^MO^ 



A. 



_>!yS'^Si!3^ 



m 



5i8 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



.^^^K(®V|| 



sin Streets, and five acres on section 22, near the 
corporation. 

He was married in Clarendon Townsliip, Calhoun 
County, April i, i860, to Miss Laura J. Willett, who 
was born in Lenawee County, June 6, 1842, the 
daughter of William S. and Marian W. (Alger) 
Willett. One son has been born to them, Fred H., 
Feb. 12, 187 1. 

Mr. Swart is a member of the Masonic fraternity. 
He has been Constable of his township and village 
several years, and has held school offices. He was 
elected Sheriff in 1868, and was again chosen in 
1876. Between those two dates he was for one 
year appointed Sheriff in place of John Ma.xwell, who 
was chosen County Treasurer. He took to Jackson 
the first convicts from Isabella County. They were 
two men sentenced for three years. 






>^ 



'<) 






kX^' 



\b- 



^ P'A' Gorge H. Treeman, farmer on section 21, 

ii^^iij, (oe, is a son of James and Phebe (Wood- 
"^5^ ^ ward) Freeman, natives respectively of 
"yf ' London, England, and the Dominion of Can- 
ada. The parents lived a number of years in 
Canada, and came to Midland Co., Mich., in 
i86g. Three years later they settled in Coe Town- 
ship, this county, which is their present home. Their 
family included six sons and one daughter, George 
being the fifth son. 

He was born in De Gore, Can., June 22, 1852. 
For various reasons his educational privileges were 
few, and he worked most of the time after he was old 
enough to be a steady hand at heavy labor. At the 
age of 20 he started out on his own account. He 
worked for others for a time, and in the fall of 1872 
came into possession of 40 acres, mostly wild, in Coe 
Township, where he has since lived. He has added 
40 acres by purchase, and now has a fine farm of 80 
acres, 60 of which are improved. 

He was married at Salt River, Dec. 24, 1871, to 
Miss Mary E., daughter of Jesse and Kliza Hutchin- 
son, residents of Coe Township. Mrs. l'"reeman was 
born in Wayne Co., Ohio, Jan. 21, 1853. To her and 
her husband five children have been given, — Franklin, 



Bertie, Lydia M., Olive E. and Elmer. Franklin 
died when about eight months old. 

Politically, Mr. F. is a firm supporter of the Re- j,^_,, 
publican party. I 



-^-H^^i.^*.-:^ 



i 



^. 



'■FWrip illiS'™ W. Struble, ex-Judge of Probate of 
M^^Ht I^''^ljella County, resident at Mt. Pleasant, 
'^te^>^ was born Nov. 6, 1822, in Morrow Co., 
M^M> Ohio. He is a son of John W. and Sarah 
J\K' (Laycock) Struble. His father was a farmer and 
1 1 a native of New Jersey ; he died in Morrow 
County, Aug. 27, 1835. The mother was born in 
New Jersey and died in Fulton Co., Ohio, Dec. 29, 
1862. 

Mr. Struble was reared to the same calling his 
father pursued all his life, and when he reached the 
age of 16 years, went to learn the tailor's trade. He 
served an apprenticeship of four years in Lexington, 
Richland Co., Ohio, and followed the same vocation 
two years as a journeyman. In May, 1843, he open- 
ed a shop in Galena, Delaware Co., Ohio, and contin- 
ued to conduct his business there three and a half 
years. 

He was married Sept. 12, 1843, in Lexington, tc 
Mary Murphy, who was born Aug. 8, 1821, in Union ^ 
town, Pa., and was the daughter of Baruch and Cath- 
erine Murphy. She became the mother of 1 1 chil- 
dren, and died Oct. 24, 1878. Nine of the sons and 
daughters live to hold her in sacred, loving re- 
membrance : Sarah, the eldest child, is deceased; 
John B. is one of the proprietors of the Salt River s 
Flouring Mills; Joseph A. is a farmer in Chippewa ^ 
Township; Mary S. is the wife of Joseph Oklits, of P 
Ml. Pleasant; Harriet is Mrs. W. W. Fosgilt, lumber 
dealer near Sutton's Bay, Mich.; James P. is a farmer 
in Union Township; Franklin L. is engaged in farm- 
ing in Coe Townships Elmer E. is the manager of 
the homestead in Chippewa Township; L'lyses S. is 
a farmer. From Galena Mr. Struble went to Mor- 
row County, and was there engaged in the business 
of tanner about fouryears, and returned then to Fulton 
County, where he operated with success about five 
years. He then sold out and bought a farm in the 
same county, where he engaged in agriculture until 
his removal to Isabella County, in October, 1864. 



( 

A 



c^: 



Sj- 



r^' 



5 



^$^f§* 



-^<-^II!l^llt|v>^ ^>^^ 



#^((®>^ 






T^WMh>T 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"5liNki-^ 



-*%?^ 



^<®vB 



5'9 



b 



3 



-?> 






He bought i6o acres of timber land, which he placed 
in a high state of cultivation. He has given 40 
acres to each of Viis two eldest sons, and still holds 
80 acres as a homestead. He resided on his prop- 
erty in Chippewa Township until 1882, when he re- 
tired fiom active farming and moved to Mt. Pleasant, 
where he is snugly situated in a dwelling he owns 
there. 

Mr. Struble was nominated for Judge of Probate in 
the fall of 1870, on the Republican ticket, and made 
a most successful campaign against Richard Hoy, 
receiving a majority of 425 votes. He discharged the 
duties of the office with credit to himself and satis- 
faction to all concerned. He was a second time 
married Oct. 23, 1881, to Catherine Converse, of 
Chippewa Township. She was born in Ontario Co., 
State of New York, Oct. ir, 1833, and lier parents 
were among the pioneer settlers of Hillsdale Co., 
Mich. 






>:> 



V 




illiam M. Williams, farmer on section 
26, Coe Township, is a son of William R. 
j^^^^" and Betsey (Gibbs) Williams. The father 
x' was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., March 
3r, 1814, and the mother was born in thesame 
county, in April, 1817. They came from New 
York to Michigan, and lived in Ingham County five 
years. In the spring of r86o, they came to Isabella 
County and located on section 35, Coe Township, 
where he died, June 29, 1881. She survives. Their 
family included 1 1 children, nine of whom grew to be 
adults There were four sons and seven daughters, 
William being the third son. 

He was born in St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., May 18, 
1850, and was five years old wiien his parents came 
to Michigan, and 10 years old when ihey settled in 
Isabella County. He- received a rudimentary educa- 
tion in the district schools and worked on the farm 
and in the woods until 24 years 9f age. 

He was married in Pine River Towjisliip, Cratiot 
Co., Mich., April 10, 1878, to Lovina, daughter of 
Ceorge and Agnes (Lockey) Wooley, natives of Can- 
ada. She was born in Clinton County, this Stale, 
Sept. 13, i86r. Of this marriage one daughter, Bes- 
sie, was born June 12, 1879. 

Mr. W. bought his present farm of 40 acres on 




section 26, Coe, in 1875. He has 30 acres improved. ^ 
Politically, he is a Republican. Mrs. W. is a member m 
of the Presbyterian Ciuirch. *v:-* 




V^ 



ichael Schafer, farmer, section 28, Notta- 
uj Township, is a son of Leonard and 
Lena (Christ) Schafer, the former a native 

y^**\ of Germany and the latter of this State, 
where, in Clinton County, they both died. 
The subject of this record was born in West- 
phalia, Clinton County, this State, March 4, 1855. 
He remained under tiie family roof-tree, assisting in 
the maintenance of the family and attending the com- 
mon schools, until he attained the age of manhood, 
when he went forlh to fight the battle of life alone, 
and came to Isabella County, this State. 

In 1876, he, in connection with his brother, pur- 
chased 200 acres of wild land in Nottawa Township, 
30 of which are now in a good state of cultivation. 

Mr. Schafer was united in marriage June 23, 1879, 
with Clara Mutz, the daughter of Valentine and 
Frances (Pauli) Mutz, both natives of Germany and 
at present living in Lansing, this State. 

Mrs. Schafer was born April 4, 1855, near San- 
dusky, Ohio. The union of Mr. and Mrs. S. has 
been blessed with two children, Frankie, born Dec. 
I, tS8o, and Peter W., born March 29, 1883^. 

Mr. S. is at present Moderator of his school dis- 
trict, and himself and wife are members of the 
Catholic Church. 



:';i|jf'[|.: ohn C. Hardgrove, farmer on section 30, 
^[l^^fj- Chippewa Township, is a son of Washing- 
vS' '^ ^ to" and Priscilla (Clark) Hardgrove, na- 
iM. tives of Pennsylvania. Their family includes 
^r four sons and four daughters, the subject of 
\ this biography being the eldest son. 
He was born in Carroll Co., Ohio, Sept. 18, r83o, 
and received the rudiments of an English education 
at the district school. As soon as he was old enough 
to work he began to help his father, and he remained 
at home until 27 years old. He was married in the 
county of his nativity, Oct. 7. 1857, to Miss Phebe, 
daughter of William and Sophronia (Sturgeon) Black- 
ledge. Mr. and Mrs. Blackledge were born in Greene 






'^, 






>:i 



H>^ 



^^mr- ^^5((®>^ 



&. 




>lf Co., Pa., and died in Carroll Co., Ohio. Mrs. Hard- 
'^ grove was born in the latter county Sept. 26, 1832, 

I and has had eight children, seven of whom are liv- 
ing, — Mary E., Franklin A., Frances R., George W., 
Emma C, Melvin H. and Corban. Hiram B. died 
Feb. 7, 1882. 

Mr. H. is a Republican and has held various 
school offices in his district. He came to Isabella 
County in September, 1S67. Of his 160 acres, 80 
are in good cultivation. 



■rs 



>5 






(^ 



=E>- 



-f3= 



'f|f Herbert Soper, farmer on section 7, Coe, 
^j^l ' - is a son of Ira and Olivia (Dane) Soper, 
8^.""''"°^ natives of the State of New York, and now 
residents of Flint, Genesee Co., Mich. He was 
bora in Orleans Co., N. Y., Dec. 17, 1846, and 
" at the age of seven came with his parents to 
Genesee County, this State. He lived at home until 
the spring of 1876, when he came to Isabella County 
and bought 80 acres, mostly wild, where he now re- 
sides. He has 32 acres under cultivation. 

He was married at Fhnt, Sept. 25, 1872, to Miss 
Cynthia I., daughter of Alonzo and Mary Hemstreet, 
natives of New York. Mrs. Soper was born in the 
county of her marriage, March 29, 1847. The three 
children added to the family circle are Harry W.^ 
Edith O. and Kittie M. J. Herbert died when a 
a year and 27 days old. Politically, Mr. S. is a Re- 
l)ublican. 



jcoc;;?tt--5»ri-r5- 




lenjamin Whitney, deceased, a relative of 
IP several residents of Isabella County, was 
born in the State of Vermont, Nov. 14, 
1802. Leaving that State at the age of 13, 
he s[)ent some time in Batavia, N. Y., and 
then went to Ohio and lived in Rainsville 
several years. He then settled in Ontario Co., N. Y., 
where he followed blacksmithing and farming, and 
for a time was employed in driving stage for his 
father. 

He was married in Ontario Co., N. Y., Dec. 24, 
1832, to Caroline E., daughter of Thomas and Annie 
(Ralston) Hall. Mrs. Whitney was born in Steuben 




-#^^((^V^ 



Co., N. Y., Feb. 27, 18 15, and bore to her husband 
nine children, as follows: Clarissa E., Emily J., 
William T., Hiram B., Charles C, George G., Albert 
N., Rensselaer G. and Mary C. Hiram B. died 
March 18, 1864, while on his way to Yorktown, as a 
member of the T6th Heavy Artillery. His body was 
embalmed and sent back to his mourning parents. 

Mr. Whitney enlisted Feb. 17, 1864, in Co. E, 
Eighth Mich. Vol. Inf, and served 18 months. He 
fought at the Wilderness, Cold Harbor and in numer- 
ous other engagements; and while in a skirmish near 
Petersburg he was shot through the left hand by a 
minie ball. With other wounded and disabled men, 
he walked ten miles to City Point, Va., where his 
wound was dressed and he was sent to Washington, 
D. C, and afterwards to Philadelphia. He was as- 
signed to the invalid corps, where he remained till 
Aug. 7, r865, when he was discharged and returned 
to his home. 

He died of heart disease, Feb. S, 1874, in Yates Co., 
N. Y., while on a visit to his daughter, Clarissa E. 



9a2fi7©ig-«— S||;^^^^^|§H-><-2fSWr'ra'^ 



\^' 



A 



ca: 






I gW^^avid C. Vroman, farmer on section 27, Coe 
^|, Township, is a son of Tunis and Elizabeth ( 

,^r^ (Craig) Vroman, natives of the States of 
TO, New York and Maine. The parents first 
settled in Orleans Co., N. Y., and afterwards re- 
moved to Jackson County, this State, where the 
mother died. The father yet lives in that county. 
Their family numbered eight, and David C. was their 
second son. 

He was i)orn in Jackson County, May 24, 1836, 
attended school until 17 years old and remained at 
home until 23 years old. In February, 1859, he 
came with his wife to Isabella County and bought 
120 acres on section 27, Coe Township. He has 
since disposed of 80 acres, and has improved 55 
acres. 

He was married in Jackson County, this State, 
July I, 1858, to Julia E., daughter of David H. and 
Chloe (Sanford) Goldsmith. Parents were natives of 
Tompkins Co., N. Y., and the daughter was born in 
Monroe Co., N. Y., Sept. 13, 1841. Florence M., 
William H., Walter L., Zada A. and Raymond W. 



^ 



;^^e- 



-^>^^0^ — ^-^^D(i:<;tiii;> 



A r~- 



'^^^^^'S^Tlffl'^ 



-^^^(@J^%: 




(OJa^^ ^ /9c.^.r^, 



^j» 






V 



*(f«»- 



/SAB ELLA COUNTY. 






s 




are the names of their five children. Zada A. died 
when a little over one year old. 

Mr. and Mrs. V. are members of the Disciiiles' 
Church. Politically, he is a Democrat. 



iharles E. Bowman, lumberman and agri- 



jig^ ship, was born May 30, 1844, in Niagara- Co., 
A N. Y. His parents, Daniel and Jane (Denster) 

I Bowman, were also natives of I he State of New 
York. The former was born Sept. 14, 18 17, the latter 
May 19, 1 81 7. The senior Bowman was a shoe- 
maker by trade, and while a resident of his native 
State worked at that business, and also as a tailor. 
In 1850 he removed with his family to St. Clair Co., 
Mich., and located 120 acres of unimproved land. 
He placed 40 acres under creditable cultivation, and 
erected thereon suitable and necessary farm build- 
ings. After eight years he sold the property and 
removed to Midland County, settling in a part now 
included in the township of Edenville. Associated 
with Timothy Jerome, a brother of the ex-Governor 
of Michigan, he built a saw-mill, which was run by 
water power. Two years later he sold his moiety to 
his partner and devoted his attention solely to lum- 
bering and agriculture. In 1865 he removed to the 
State of Missouri. 

Mr. Bowman is of mixed English and Highland 
Scotch extraction, his father and mother having been 
respectively of parents descended from those nation- 
alities. On attaining his majority he engaged in 
lumbering. His capital was invested in a span of 
horses, and he operated on the Tittabawassee River 
as a contractor in the avenues connnon to the busi- 
ness, to which he devoted his energies about two 
years, when he purchased 81 acres of wild land in 
Edenville, Midland County, and began clearing it 
for a homestead. He placed 45 acres in first-class 
cultivation and built thereon a house and barn. He 
still retains its ownership, but after a residence there- 
on of some years, he removed to Isabella County to 
follow his lumber interests. He located on sec- 
tion 10, Wise Townshi]), where he has since resided 
and vigorously prosecuted the business of lumbering. 
He owns 200 acres of land, which he is fast placing 
in a highly creditable slate of cultivation. 




In political views and connections, Mr. Bowman is 
a Republican. He has discharged the duties of 
several local offices, and is now School Assessor. 
He is a member of the Order of Masonry, and belongs 
to Corning Lodge, No. 335, at Farwell, Clare Co., 
Mich. 

Mr. Bowman is a substantial citizen of his town- 
ship and county, one of the class of men whose 
zealous industry and persevering prosecution of in- 
flexible business methods is fast placing this section 
of Northern Micliigan in fair rank with otiier portions 
of the Peninsular State. His portrait is given on the 
opposite page. 

He was married Oct. 11, 1868, to Julia, daughter 
of Nicholas and Sophia (La vere) Raymond. She was 
born Jan. 10, 185 1, in St. Clair, Mich. Her father 
was born in 1813, in the Province of Quebec. He 
came to Michigan when he was but 18 years old, and 
followed the business of a blacksmith until his death 
in 1853. That event was the result of accident, 
from a falling limb off a tree from which he and his 
son were peeling the bark, striking him on his head. 
He survived five hours. Her mother was born May 
20, 1817, in Detroit, and is still living, at Port Huron, 
St. Clair County. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
Bowman are five in number, and were born as fol- 
lows : Wallace E., Nov. 6, 1869 (died Dec. ig, 
1870); Warren G., Jan. 3, 187 i ; Elmer D., Nov. 18, 
1 87 3; Eber A., Jan. 17, 1878; Bessie May, M.ay 6, 
1884. 



^^§&^ 



^l^fe'^^f-'C 



>;;'||gf'|R ohn Bussell Doughty, editor and proprietor 
S^^r of the Istibclhi County Enterprise, was 1 
Jj'v' * ' 'It Henrietta Corners, Monroe Co., N 



born 
Y., 

M'Z ^^'thin ten miles of the city of Rochester. His 
]t birth occurred Sept. 24, 1842, and he is the son 
\ of George W. and Emeline (Storm) Doughty. 
\VhL'ii he was two years old his parents removed to 
Van Buren Co., Mich., where his father engaged in 
mercantile pursuits at Paw Paw; he is still living 
there, aged 80 years. The mother died at Paw Paw 
in 1878. 

Mr. Doughty received all the educational advan- 
tages afforded by the [ilace where he grew to mature 
years, and he eventually entered the printing-office 
of I. W. Van Fossen, at Paw Paw, where he re- 
mained between two and three years. He afterward 






x 



Ky 



e 



:^Dt]>>i^ 



^I^^^C^ 



o 



I 

I 



f 



)^^ 



^i^tixS-'S!" 









5=4 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



{9) 



^ 



went to Kalamazoo, where he obtained a situation in 
the printing-office of the Kalamazoo Telegraph. He 
remained there as assistant about three years, and 
at the expiration of that time he went to Poughkeep- 
sie, N. Y., where he was employed on the Daily 
Eagle; he went thence to the city of New York and 
passed some months in a book and job office. 

The place grew irksome ; and, yielding to an in- 
clination to see home and friends, he returned to 
Paw Paw, where he purchased the stock of a boot and 
shoe establishment. He continued the management 
of the business upwards of a year, when he sold out 
and again interested himself in printing, entering the 
True Northerner office at Paw Paw. After a short 
time he again went to Kalamazoo, and later to St. 
John's, where, associated with a Mr. Phillips, he pub- 
lished the Clinton County Republican. Eventually he 
sold his interest to Mr. Phillips and returned to Paw 
Paw. Shortly after, he went to St. Joseph and was 
there engaged for a few months in the pursuit of his 
vocation as printer, returning on the termination of 
his engagement to Paw Paw. 

While at home he received a communication from 
Albert Fox, publisher of the Enterprise at Mt. Pleas- 
ant, asking him to proceed to that place to take 
charge of the paper, as his failing health incapacita- 
ted him for the duties and labors of the position. 
Mr. Doughty responded to the summons and spent 
1 8 months as assistant and manager of the interests 
of the Journal. At the end of that time Mr. Fox 
died, when the paper passed by purchase into the 
hands of Mr. Doughty. He succeeded to its pro- 
prietorship in July, 1873. The journal is now in its 
20th year; it has the largest circulation of all papers 
in the county and is conducted in accordance with 
the princi;.'les declared in its motto. It is published 
in the "interests of the Republican party and of Isa- 
bella County." Its popularity is growing with the in- 
crease of improvement and population of Isabella 
County, and its business interests are gradually 
widening. A considerable job and book printing 
business is connected with the work of the paper, 
which is an important addition to its scope and is 
rapidly extending. 

In 1875, 1^'s printing-office, witii all its fixtures, 
was destroyed by fire, entailing total loss, as there 
was no insurance. The plucky editor was nothing 
daunted and ordered a new outfit from Detroit, set 




up an office in the parlor of his private residence and 
issued his paper on the regular day of the following 
week. In January, 1884, he reduced the subscrip- 
tion price of the paper to $t a year. 

Mr. Doughty was married May 24, 1874, at Mt. 
Pleasant, to Eva Craig Graves, daughter of Judge L. 
and Virginia Graves, residents of Warsaw, Gallatin 
Co., Ky. Mrs. Doughty was born at that place Dec. 
I, 1852. She is thoroughly educated, having been a 
student at Oxford Female College, Butler Co., Ohio, 
and at the " Acade.ny of the Most Holy Rosary " at 
Louisville, Ky. She is assistant editor of the Enter- 
prise. Tlie family includes three children, — Lorenzo 
G., Ole W. and Virgaline, aged respectively eight, six 
and three years. 



«^ 



-?3= 



.J^ 



E>- 



E-l u^Vnf on. Isaac A. Fancher, formerly a resident yL 
plF;^-"'* of this county but now of Detroit, is a son ^ 



c^: 



•^aV^ 



$$^#» 



^^ of Jacob Schuyler and Eunice (Alger) Fancher, 
%■ and was born Sept. 30, 1833, in Florida, Mont- 

I gomery Co., N. Y., where his parents passed 
the latter portion of their lives. His father died in 
1838, and his mother for some time afterward lived 
at Braman's Corners, about a mile and a half from 
Schenectady, N. Y.; but, returning to Florida, N. Y., 
she finally died at her daughter's, Olivia Caroline. 
In their family were four children, namely, Olivia 
Caroline, Richard, Isaac Alger (subject of this sketch) 
and Orrin Hatch. Richard and Orrin are deceased. 

Mr. Fancher, during his early boyhood, attended S^^ 
tlie summer schools, as the school-house was too dis- \^'f 
tant for him to attend in winter. From the age of r 
1 I to 15 he had to work on the farm; then for one 
year Ire attended school at Diianesburg, Schenectady 
Co., N. Y., boarding with his sister Olivia; next, was 
on the farm again until he was 19 years of age; then, 
being anxious to obtain a belter education, he at- 
tended the Princetown Academy in his native county ^'i. 
for a three-months term, and tlie following year two j 
terms more. Afterward he attended the Amsterdam »:. ; 
(N. Y.) Academy for a school year, closing in June^ G . 
1856. In September following he left his native >x 
State for the West, spent a short time in Kilbourn (J 
City, Wis., taught a winter term (1856-7) of school ^ 



jl<^;0||:$:|ID;^z,£! ^'^^ 






T24^is: 6V<^^I] D :-$i O 0^ j>T 



":34>a>'-^^ 



4^^J((®vi|^: 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^ at Delton, that State, traveled a few months, and 
:) taught the same school the ensuing winter. In tlie 
•-.-* spring, on account of tiie dealii of his brother Orrin, 
I he returned to Florida, N. Y., for a short time, then 
[2) he went to Minnesota and bought 80 acres of land 
near Rochester, that State, which he afterward sold. 
Later in the season he went into Iowa for the pur- 
pose of locating several hundred acres of land for a 
friend in the East. After going as far soiitii as St. 
Louis, Mo., he returned to Delton, Wis. 
> In the fall of 1859 he went to the neighboring 
"1 town of Newport, Wis., and entered the law office of 
^.^ Jonathan Bowman, who was formerly a resident of 
Charleston, Wis. After reading law there about 14 
months he attended the Albany (N. Y.) Law School 
about six months, and soon afterward opened a law 
office at Kilboiirn City, Wis. In the spring of 1862 
he, in company with others, started for Oregon, but 
) on account of unforeseen difficulties they turned their 
course southward, toward Nevada. The party di- 
/\ vided, and Mr. Fancher, with his party, settled near 
Minetville, staking out a lot and building an adobe 
house. But soon afterward he made a short visit to 
San Francisco and returned via the isthmus to New 
York city, arriving Jan. 24, 1863, having been 24 
days on the ocean. Contracting chills in that city, 
he hastened to his mother's in Schenectady County, 
where he remained seven weeks. 

In the spring of 1863 he spent a fews weeks at 
Kilbourn City, Wis., settling up business, and July 4, 
following, he arrived at Mt. Pleasant, having heard 
favorable reports concerning this locality. He im- 
mediately bought three lots, erected a frame house 
and moved his family hither from Wisconsin, by 
team, being 23 days on the route. He opened an 
office and began the practice of his profession, and 
took an active interest in the welfare of the place. 
Having studied civil engineering, he also engaged 
somewhat in surveying, as the country was new and 
law business light. For several years he was State 
Road Commissioner. In 1868 he was awarded a 
certificate of election to the Legislature by the Dis- 
trict Commissioners, but his opponent, Mr. Newman, 
.-' contesting, he let the matter go, as he was not anx- 
d ious for the seat ; but he nevertheless got in all his 
^ public measures, which were carried through. He 
(® paid his own expenses. In 1873 he was elected 
/: Representative to the Legislature with only two op- 



V 



^ 



!2 f) 






posing votes. In 1875 he was elected Senator from T' 
this district, and served one term, with honorable ^ 
distinction. He introduced a joint resolution author- *"'.' 
izing the Auditor General of the State to credit the I 
county of Isabella witli upward of $10,000, which had V^ 
been, in the detaching of Clare County, wrongly 
charged to tjiis county. This money was appro- 
priated lo the building of the court-house at Mt. 
Pleasant. He has also served the county as Prose- 
cuting Attorney, and for a time was Postmaster at 
Mt. Pleasant. In 1870 he was Census Commissioner \ 
for this and Clare Counties, and he has been honored 
with many other public trusts during his sojourn in 
this county. He was a man of enlarged views, busi- 
ness energy and philanthropic spirit. 

He was largely interested in laying out roads in 
Isabella and adjoining counties, so that all the im- 
portant roads would center at Mt. Pleasant. Also 
took great interest m the proposed Lansing, St. John's (' ~ 
& Mackinaw Railroad, and worked for it until over 
$400,000 was raised in municipal bonds, when such /S,, 
paper was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme i=i 
Court. He was a Director in the company projxising »,. 
a road from Owosso through this county, which is e=i 
now being built by the Toledo, Ann Arbor & North- 
ern Company. He also greatly aided in the con- 
struction of the Saginaw & Mt. Pleasant Railroad, 
being Vice-President of the same until it was trans- 
ferred to the Flint & Pere Marquette Company. 

He bought the first mill site in 1865, which he had 
sought out, and afterward sold it to Hapner Bros., 
who built a mill there, and subsequently Mr. F. pur- 
chased the property. He sold a half interest in the 
water-power to Harris Bros, for a Government mill, 
and afterward sold his remaining interest to George 
W. Bowen, and purchased the steam saw-mill built 
by Owen & Clinton, which he subsequently sold to 
A. B. Upton, and is now owned by Upton & Leaton. 
At one time Mr. Fancher owned 169 lots in Mt. 
Pleasant. 

Mr. Fancher was married in W'yoming Co., N. Y., 
June 6, i860, to Miss Althea May, daughter of Wil- 
liam and (Fisk) Preston. Mrs. F. was a native ^ 

of that county. She and Mr. F. have become the "i-' 
parents of three children, namely : Preston Schuyler, 
born June 10, 1861; Blanche, deceased; and Bessie 
Riiea, born June 9, 1874. 

In 1882 Mr. Fancher changed his residence to 



^y 

^ 



(\ 



(^ 






l^S/®^)^#- 



,^%^^ 



9^m2m> 



T 



"^^^^^^^ 



p^^^(\ 



526 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^;^ Detroit, where he bought a fine dwelhng and is now 
^ practicing law. In general politics he is a staunch 
i'^i Republican, was Chairman of the Republican County 
T Committee most of the time for 15 years, and from 
■i). 1878 to 1880 was a member of the State Central 
Committee of that party. He is a member of the 
Order of Odd Fellows, being one of the oldest mem- 
bers of Wabon Lodge, No. 308, at Mt. Pleasant. 



illiam E. Redfleld, farmer, section 10, 
Deerfield Township, is a son of Josiah and 
^■f,"' Eliza A. (Lane) Redfield. His father 
was a native of Connecticut, and died March 
15, 1862 ; his mother was born Jan. 12, 1813, 
and is now living with him. There were three 
children in their family, of whom the subject of this 







sketch, Mr. Wm. E. Redfield, is the only one living. 

He was born Nov. 20, 1852, in Twinsburg, Summit 
Co., Ohio, and lived there until he was 26 years of 
age; he arrived in this county May 5, 1879, where 
he now owns 60 acres of land, — 20 on section 10 
and 40 on section 15. 

Dec. 22, 1878, he was married to Clara A., 
daughter and only child of Franklin and Mary Cal- 
ista (Ballard) Barker, who was born in Oakland Co., 
Mich , Feb. 4, 1858. To them have been born two 
children, namely: Ethel Grace, Dec. 20, 1880, and 
Josiah Franklin, Sept. 9, 1883. Mr. Redfield and 
wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
and he is a Republican, in his political views. Her 
father participated in the last war, being in the 
bloody battle of Chickamauga: he died in the liospi- 
tal at Chattanooga. 






(ft 



y^^ 



ft 



A 



>5 



:< 



^ 

s 

b 







(^ 



rr> 



^l\§^m^ 



•^mM\[^>^^- 



--^^^(^J^S 






r^^ eV4^llII§Illli-'>r^^ :2!^&^ 






^ 



/ 



?• 
^ 



:-<c 



V 









/ _f^»- 






igi###ip€i|iL 



^^& 






9 



^: 






-iSi S<y>S ^" 






i 



-^'^^^^ '^-^^^Dfl^^DDf^^ ^=^^5^ 



^^^)^m^ 



■^ 6rV<^Iin^||]ri>V^T8 Ti^^^is- 



^^M 



(^ 



e 



1 



-^_: 




A 



C< 



v/ 

^ 



w> 



t 



^^^» 



.^55^§>jc a^^;[i[j^p|i;'^A^. 












^ 



-7<>[lli:-^:illl^>r 



/\ 



V 



^ 



.1 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■:2J^- 





L« ^c^(^i^[^tiS 'i'. '■•.'. •. '■•.'I'^tsa'i^.gs'gstaa'^'^' ■•>'■• i'. 



; .t;^t^>^«^'^<^ 



INTRODUCTORY. 



l'^'^>)'iaj:i«5§j';^to'^!i' .- 



1 '. '> U'l^'iiSi'i^tgS't^^' I 






^' 



f 




CARCELY :i score and a half 
years have passed since the un- 
broken forests of Northern Mich- 
igan were thought of as a possi- 
X}} ble home for civiHzed man. 
''^ The Government surveyors re- 
[jorted that it was an irreclaim- 
able waste and not fit for cultivation 
in any quarter, the soil being of that 
character which precluded the prop- 
agation of cereals. The rapidity of 
settlement and enormous crops of every- 
thing in the line of cereals demonstrated 
conclusively their mistake, for no acre- 
ge surpasses Northern Michigan in pro- 
uctiveness. Notwithstanding the oft re- 
peated tales of want and hardships told 
by their sires, men of energy, with their families and 
all tlieir earthly possessions loaded upon a wagon 
drawn by oxen, pushed their way step by step, through 
the unbroken forests of Isabella, until they found 
suitable locations. With a spirit of heroism have 
they toiled until the forests were laid low, and their 
herculean labor is manifest in the broad acres of 
liighly cultivated land, upon which stand palatial res- 
idences and outbuildings of the most expensive char- 
acter. Over the grounds where the red man chased 
the bounding deer, and the wildcat and wolves held 
their nightly vigils, may be seen the husbandman 



gathering the golden harvests; where the Indian's 
wild war-whoop was heard, stands the stately house of 
worship. Transportation of goods by ox-teams has 
given way to the power of steam, and a commerce 
has been opened up with all parts of the civilized 
world. Prosperity in a high degree has smiled upon 
her people, who are fortunate in living in the most 
healthful, beautiful and productive State in the Union, 
taking age into consideration. 

The history of this county is possessed of no small 
degree of interest. While other counties were con- 
nected with the frontier by large bodies of excellent 
lands, these seemed shut off from the gaze of shrewd 
speculators by reason of its heavy growth of timber. 
They were destined to become the heritage of an 
lionest, industrious people, and the income derived 
from the timber and products of the soil has given 
many of the first comers a handsome competency. 

This wa.s tlic ilark forest priiucvnl ; 

I?ul tlic iiiiiiiiMT I'aiiic ill liis iiiiylit. 
Anil down tliioiiiili \\w v:i-t IimiV Iciii|i1i' 

S|ircii(l f;lc;illiiii;; llir |iioiii'i'is" li.i;lil. 
Willi his ;ix on Ills slidiildiT, lii' <'aiii(> 

I'roiii till' hills aiicl v.-illcys a\\;iy : 
WliiTc llic SUM ill liis splniilor iiprisinj;; 

TJf;lils Hunker llilTs eoliiiiiiis to-day. 
X(> niarlile-pavcMl cilies here shone. 

XiM-oslly hiiill palace lieri' stood; 
Itiit above and around, the dark forest rose, 

Willi majeslir, hiin'e pillars of wood. 
\o lii';ln\a'\ thai led llii-oiij;li the -jrove 

Had liiiijiil lillle lloweis s.'adered there, 
Mill iiairou paths, skirled with thorns, 

Their naked feut ready to tear. 



^5 



c^: 



0) 



||^-V5))f^(f- 



r^iiti>>v^ — ^'^^^^ 



I 



(a» 



53° 



ISABELLA COUNTY, 






:<e 



> 




Value of Jjocal History. 

•UT few of the present generation realize 
tiie great value of local history, living as 
they do in an age of industry and thrift. 
The opportunities for speculation and the 
haste to become wealthy take precedence of 
everything else, and the fact is not taken into 
consideration that the pioneers are rapidly passing 
from the scene of their labors, leaving but little time 
for the compilation of biographical sketches which 
constitute the heretofore unwritten history of Isabella 
County. Their children have heard from the lips 
of their aged sires the story of privation and toil of 
those who were first at the front in the settlement of 
the county, but their children will lose sight of the 
facts unless they be recorded in such manner a, to 
become intelligible and kept fresh in the minds of 
succeeding generations. 

Surrounded, as we are, with everything which 
wealth and taste can suggest, the fact is almost lost 
sight of that here were the best years of the lives of our 
ancestry devoted to the development of one of the 



best agricultural counties in the State. As the vir- 
tues, privations, toil and hardships the pioneers have 
undergone are well worthy of a more fitting memorial 
than can be secured by a granite monument, the 
design of the publishers is to record a history of in- 
estimable value to every citizen of the county. 

The facts mentioned have been carefully culled 
from every source ; neither pains nor expense has 
been spared in the compilation of this work, which, 
although not without error, is as correct as can be 
gathered from the pioneers themselves, and men are 
very apt to be mistaken in data. 

Upon local history depends the perpetuation of 
facts heretofore unwritten, as well as the biographical 
sketches of every worthy pioneer in the county that 
could be procured. Each sketch speaks volumes; 
and a history of one man's life, perhaps of an entire 
family, is now recorded where naught can efface or 
destroy it. From this will all future volumes of like 
import take their data. Those who have volunteered 
the information from which this work is compiled, 
will live in the history of this county as long as time 
lasts. No manlier hands e'er drew a sword than they 
who faced privation and danger while engaged in the 
subjugation of the dense wilderness which once cov- 
ered this now beautiful land, and to them is this vol- 
ume dedicated. 



^^: 








^^'^^^ — '^^^^i]n:-^:iiii;>^ 



4^^i5f®x^:^ 




>; 



^ 



? 

I 
I 



KOEVER attempts lo write 
conceniing the history of our 
North American Indians, with 
any knowledge of what he is 
writing, the result of either 
experience, observation or in- 
vestigation, does so with a regret 
that civilization has demanded 
so much of them and returned 
so little. Their origin, how they 
came here in this country in ad- 
vance of intelligent and scien- 
tific discovery, and where they 
came from, is a subject that has 
challenged the attention of the 
antiiiuarians and historiographers 
ever since the discovery of this 
country; and the writer of tiiis ar- 
ISL tide, during the time that he had 
If, (harge of the Michigan Indians 
as their Agent, gave considerable 
attention to this, being singularly, 
but unconsciously, aided by the 
i Indians themselves. 
One of the best tests in tracing descent where histo- 
ry is silent on the subject, lies in idiomatic expressions, 
hyperboles and in rhetorical tropes. Added to these, 
we can readily call to our aid the prophecies of the 
Scriptures, and notice their fulfillment in this peculiar 
people. My idea about them is that they are de- 
scendants of the princes, sultans and califfs of Ara- 
bia, so graphically described in the book so dear to 




formerly U. S. Indian Agent. 

all juvenile readers, " The Aral)ian Nights' Enter- 
tainments," and I shall endeavor to slate my reasons 
for believing so. 

In the first place, the Arabians are recognized as 
the descendants of Ishmael, of whom it was said in 
(lenesis xvi, 12, "And he will bo a wild man: his 
hand will be against ever)' man, and every man's 
hand will be against him ; and he shall dwell in the 
presence of all his brethren." What has l)cen true 
of the Arabians, has been singularly true of the 
North American Indians; for, until overpowered by 
numbers and modern implements of warfare, their 
hands were against every man, and now every man's 
hand is against them, and they also dwell in the 
presence of their human brethren. 

In A. 1). 622, the Arabians, under the name of 
Saracens, began their course of conquest, under Mo- 
hammed. Their methods of warfare were, no quar- 
ter to prisoners, the debauchery of female captives 
and their destruction afterw'ards, physical torture and 
no mercy. The Indians in their natural state have 
adojited this very metliod, as the result, I tliink, of a 
natural inlierilance. 

Then again, the Araiiians, as Mohammedans, were 
taught to believe in a heaven of perfect sensual and 
physical enjoyment, where they would not only be 
surrounded by beautiful houris whose only mission 
would be to minister to their animal enjoyn)ent, but 
that there, in that land, they would be all brave war- 
riors, invincible and imconquerable. What more of 
a simile can we find than the idea the untutored 






■^'^^ &^-DD"«;ilK>i:g S:;f5<^ 



-"•f^^Sft 



9 



fr. 






m^. 






>iSs<irii< 



-r4:i]ti:^nn>>>v 



-^^^^^\m 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



o 



/\ 



•^ Indian has always had of the "happy hunting 

i|i) grounds ? " 

■T» Then, again, as to the simihirity of their figures of 
f speech. Instead of the Arabian sahitation of, "C'oin- 

^j mander of the Faithful," our Indians substitute the 
equally poetical appellation of, " My Great Father." 
In oriental poetry and oratory, the simplest methods 
of comparison were used, so as to come within the 
comprehension of an ignorant people. Brightness 
of character, of visage or of mechanism was com- 
/ pared to the sun. Loveliness of character, or beauty 

J^ of countenance, was compared to the moon ; grace- 

^■% fulness, to some animal, such as a gazelle; swiftness, 
to a deer, — all homely comparisons, but easily under- 
stood. To this day, our North American Indians use 
the same figures of speech, and they did not learn 
them from their white concpierors. 

Another thing which tends to show tlieir ancestry 
is their ceremonial observances. The Indian in his 
wild state has been compared by some persons to a 
brute. But brutes do not hold war and peace dan- 
ces; they do not have ceremonial observances in 
honor of victories, or dejection over defeats ; and the 
([uestion is, where did they receive these ideas ? A 
noted Mason in this country has said that even 
among Bodouins of the Desert he has observed Ma- 
sonic rites and symbols; that while they lacked the 
perfection and finish of those of civilized Masonry, 
still they were sufficient for mutual recognition. Now, 
Free Masonry is older than civilization, and is de- 
scribed as having had a being " ever since symmetry 
began, and harmony displayed her charms;" and the 
Arabian and his descendant the Indian have, I 
believe, a valid claim to the same antiquity. We 
have every reason to believe tliat during the war of 
the Crusades, the ultimate friendship of Saladin, the 
Saracen chief, and Richard Coeur de Leon proceeded 
from their mutual recognition as Masons. 

Another thing is to be considered in this connec- 
tion ; and that is, the existence of the law of primo- 
geniture among them, and the right of succession 
established of rulershipor kingship from father to son. 
If they had been the original inhabitants of America 
from all time, and isolated from the rest of the world, 
with their savage, untaught natures, the strongest and 
most daring of them would have been chiefs, always 
jjroviding they had even thought of the expediency 
of dividing themselves into bands, tribes and nations. 



:) 



But in Arabia they had this division from time im- 
memorial. 

How did they come here? is the next question 
whicii will naturally arise; and tTiis brings us to a 
natural comparison of the habits of the two people. 
The Arabians were a restless, nomadic and migratory 
people, of a decidedly warlike nature. If they could 
have no other, they indulged in internal war, lo keep 
their hands in. Just so with the Indians. With the 
Arabians, the possession of women began to be the 
result of physical prowess. Just so with the Indians. 
With the Arabians, woman was a slave, not only de- 
pendent entirely upon her male lord, but simply a 
creature to gratify his lusts. Just so with the Indians. 

Then look at tlie similarity of names. The Ara- 
bians used the hyphenated syllabic method, each 
name meaning something; and so do the Indians. 
Where did they get this? Did they pick it up by 
chance? Here are two samples. One is the .\rabian 
" Ai)d-el-Wahhab," or "The Servant of the Beauti- 
ful," and the other the Indian " Naw-o-quay-ke- 
/.hick," or "Tiie Noon-day Sun," both descriptive of 
some personal attribute, and of the same ortho- 
graphical system. 

In A. D. 929, Arabia was disorganized and suf- 
fered for two centuries from internal warfare, and we 
have every reason to supix)se that with escape ixjs- 
sible, the defeated chieftains and their followers did 
not remain to be subject to the bastinado or the 
scimitar. The sea on one hand and the northern 
passage on the other was preferable to this, and with 
their traditions, their political and tribal divisions and 
other attributes they came to this country. 

I have space in this article to mention no more 
than generally and briefly my reasons for sup|)osing 
that our American Indians are of Oriental t)rigin ; 
ai.d having done so I will now be more definite and 
come down to our local Indians in Isabella County. 



The Chippewas of Saginaw Valley, Swan Creek 
and Black Kiver. 

The above tribal designation is of comparatively 
recent date, the present trilie licing tlie result of 
inter-marriage, and they lack both tribal descent and 
features. 

Tlie old Iroquois blood is flowing in the veins of 
many of tliem, and liere and there one can trace a 
descendant of the Miamis, the Senecas and oftener 



V^ 






C 



f 






^^^ — ~^^i1[1:^:dii;->a 



-^?> 



#§5^f^^:iiS; 






T 



I SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



S 
) 



'^ 






the old and once powerful Pottawatomies. The old 
Etowah and Ojibways (now corrupted into " Otta- 
wa " and "Chippewa") are also represented largely! 
so, as we said before, the present tribe designated as 
" Chippewas of Saginaw, Swan Creek and Black 
River," is an amalgamation of several tribes which 
were once distinct. 

Ne-gaw-ne, an old man over loo years old, was a 
warrior under Pontiac, and describes with great ac- 
curacy the part he took in the siege of Detroit, in- 
cluding the historical game of foot ball. These and 
others, whose names escape my memory, have 
told me about the big falling waters (Niagara Falls) 
and of Red Jacket, the famous chieftain and orator; 
and again others will tell of the fertile lands of 
the Ohio, and of the rivers which rose so high every 
spring that they could paddle their canoes over the 
land. 

Tlie time of sei)aration seems to iiave been at the 
treaty of the River Raisin ; but this time is after the 
segregation of many of the forefathers of our present 
Indians. In the Detroit treaty of Nov. 17, 1S07, the 
lands in the Saginaw territory were set apart for the 
Ottaway, Cliij)peway, Wyandotte and i'ottawatomie 
nations of Indians, as part of a general and divided 
concession (.') from the Government; but it is nt)l 
until the treaty made at Washington, May 9, il^.^i'i, 
that we see our Indians classified as " Cliijjpewas of 
Swan Creek and Black River." 

During these years the Wyandottes and Pottawat- 
omies seem to have wandered westward, though 
many of the latter tribe settled in the Michigan 
Territory, south of what is now the line of the Micli- 
igan Central Railroad. But among the new tribe of 
Chippeways of Swan Creek and Black River, there 
was a large number still of Wyandottes and Pottawat- 
omies, although the prevailing number were divided 
between Ottawas and Chippewas, while occasionally 
to this day a Seneca Indian can be found. Civiliza- 
tion had been driving them remorselessly before its 
cultivated fields, — first from the beautiful valley of 
the Miami, up towards the Maumee; from there to 
the River Raisin where Monroe now stands; from 
there towards the Detroit River, but urging them 
both westward and northward; from there to the 
Flint and Saginaw Rivers, — but with all these tem- 
porizings urging them westward by offers of large an- 
nuities, which many of them accepted. 



533 "> 

— — = (^:- 



On arriving at Swan Creek, Black River and Sagi- ^ 
^.„ ^k:„ ,,,,.,^1 — , ♦;,,„ „r f»;i.^^ ...,-^.^^ *u^,*.. .-.^i.f ^A' 



T 



f 



naw, this conglomeration of tribes, under their new 
name, began to clear land, to hunt and to fish; but 
even in what was tiien a wilderness they were not 
allowed to remain undisturbed; for the American 
Fur Company began the e/ection of trading-ix)sts, and 
buying their valuable furs of the Indian hunter and 
trapper; they and the subsequent traders paid them 
off in poor whisky and cheap goods at an exorbitant 
price. 

As civilization (?) advanced, many of tlie whites ^.1 
took Indian women as concubines, living in this un- 
holy alliance as long as it suited either their con- 
venience or inclination to do so, thus giving to these 
untutored people their first lesson in civilization by 
teaching them the prostitution of their young women! 

But after a while this land became valuable to the 
whites. The steami)oat appeared where before the 
waters of the Saginaw had known no more disturb- (^ ~ 
ance than the paddle of the Indian in his canoe. ^ ' 
Business began to prosper, settlers to come in, and /\ 
in 1855 these Indians were all called together and i=r 
told practically that it was to their interest to give »»• 
up land, then worth $100 per acre, and to move again 3= 
northward into Isabella County, then almost a wil- 
derness; and to this they consented and moved up 
liere ; and had it not been for the efforts of the writer 
in securing them their patents in fee sinqjle, the prob- 
ability is that before now they would have been re- 
"inoved from here to Isle Royale in Lake Sujjcrior, or 
some other equally undesirable locality. As it is, 
their present condition as compared with the past is 
bad enough. They are dwindling away or migrating 
each year; some of them have gone with their old rel- 
atives, the Ottawas on Lake Michigan, the straits of 
Mackinac and Sault Sle. Marie; others can be foinid 
among the Chippewas of Lake Superior, while those 
remaining earn a precarious living in either amateur 
farming, hunting, fishing, basket-making or, later, in 
working in tlic lumlier woods in winter and on the 
drive. 

They are undoubtedly the victiins of the inexorable 
logic of events; but it seems a pity tiiat they, the 
original |X)ssessors of the soil, should have been com- *^1 
pelled to give up so much when they received so Dy 
little. At present they are living upon this reserva- Jr\ 
tion under the provisions of the treaty of October 18, (• 
1S64, which was supplemental to the treaty of ^ 



( 



V 






:m-^> 







i 



Jj 



> 
"% 



>: 



V 



^ 



August 2, 1855. This treaty provides for the per- 
manent settlement of these Indians and the disso- 
lution of their tribal relations to the United States 
Government. It gives to each head of a family 80 
acres of land, and to each Indian, male or female, 
arriving at the age of maturity, 40 acres, with a pro- 
viso that the Indian Agent shall classify them as 
"Competent " and " Non-competent." In case they 
are re|jorted as competent, then a patent in fee sim- 
ple is issued to them, and they can transfer their 
land, or alienate the title, just the same as any ordi- 
nary freeholder; but if reported as non-competent, 
then, while a patent is issued to them, they cannot 
transfer the title without the consent of the Secre- 
tary of the Interior, who bases his opinion very great- 
ly on the recommendation of the local Probate Court, 
about the same as in the case of minors at law. 

The reservation embraces the following Congres- 
sional townships, all being in townships north by 
ranges west of the meridian line; 16, 3, entire; 15, 
3; 15,4; 15, 5, entire; 14, 5, entire, and the north 
half of 14,3, and 14, 4. There are exceptions to 
even this territory, being in the way of entries made 
by speculators in pine lands previous to the treaty. 

In the preparation of the first list for patents, the 
writer was embarrassed by the large acreage with- 
held from selections by what is known as the "Rust 
jnirchase;" but, this being subsequently removed by 
these gentlemen releasing to the Government their 
valuable investment, tjie Indians were allowed to se- 
lect this land. 

The pnncipal value attaclicd to this land was the 
magnificent pine timber which grew on it, and its 
value was enhanced by the fact that it was within 
easy and practicable distance to the Chippewa and 
Salt Rivers, by which the logs could be floated to 
Saginaw or Bay City. 

Lumljer speculators soon bouj^ht tlie itine, coupled 
with the right of removal, at a nominal figure; and 
after them the land speculators purchased the land. 
Some of the Indians kept their land (very few com- 
paratively), but none of them kept their |)ine. 

It is iierhaps just as well as it is. Tlie theory of 
the Indian (Commission and tlic wouldbc liunianita- 



V^ 



©- 

rians, that the Indians of North America can be ^ 
turned into a set of civilized farmers, is a chateau (W 
d'Espagne of the most enormous j^roportions. A per- *>>• 
centage of them may be recovered and converted to | 
civilization and its rules, by schools like that at Carl- 
isle, Pa. ; but 'an Indian is an Indian, and nothing 
else. He had rather fish and hunt than farm, and 
the nomadic habits and tastes of his ancestors still 
cling to him with persevering force. 

Locality is one of their chief attributes. Although 
they are entitled to land up here in Isabella County, 
not only land, but the means of having permanent 
and comfortable homes,- — notwithstanding all this, 
which any white man would accept greedily, the 
Indian will not take, but even now can be found in 
his old haunts, rendered doubly dear to him by hab- 
itation and the traditions of childhood. 

The Indian problem has had a fair, honest and in- 
telligent trial among the Chipjjewas of Saginaw, 
Swan Creek and BJack River; and as far as amel- 
iorating their condition is concerned, it has been a 
failure. Schools have been furnished them, with 
patient, earnest teachers ; the gospel has been 
preached to them, by hard-working, self-denying min- 
isters of Christ ; many cm speak Knglish ; some can 
write, read and cipher; some are members of the 
Church, and all are peaceable and qviiet, — civilization 
has done this much, but it has all been for the ben- 
efit of its own cui)idity and i)rotection. As for the 
Indian (!) in the wild woods, unbroken by the ax of 
the pioneer; by the shimmering stream full of sus- 
tenance to him, and wiiosc l)anks were bordered by 
the unstinted growth of medicinal plants whose vir- 
tues were unknown at that time, only to his medicine 
man : the Atropa Bcllaiiotina, by which they charmed 
their enemies to death ; the Blue, Black and Purple 
Cohosh; the " Taraxacum Dcns-Lconis" or Dande- 
lion, the J^ciiiopliyllum pcltatum, or Mandrake or 
May Api)lc; with nature at liis command: with liis 
bow and arrow on his shoulilcr, or his fisliing pole 
or net in his hand, tlic Indian of primeval ages was 
more one of (lod's noblemen than the nondescript 
produced bv tlie hyjiocrisy of livili/alion ! 



< 

A 



C< 









r 



g|-v®))^€^ ^^^^^^ — ^^<;^Dar^^nn;->-^- 



m 



I 



^ 



-2^^!^ — ^iv^-^n D^. n ^'f>^ — ^as"^^ 



/?s 



V 



...4 
t 



ISABELLA COUNTY 



-*&;2 




^^^■^^^^^^^^^ 



?^j^. V"4-' YT'4-*"rt' ■•? 'J: "•!.•'■¥"+■-■?■■ -y-l-' ■+■ "-i-'V Y 'YI-'-Y "+'¥ Y Y Y YY Y Y Y Y Y YY Y'Y"-i-"Y Y Y'Y Y' Y Y Y -k v'^®^**^ 






^^S?'***"*'^' ••^*£=^ --— ^— .:=d ^s /// .^ ' " ~: 



T*^ HE people of tins generation, 
those who are reared in the 
midst of luxury and rocked 
in the cradle of affluence, 
know comi)aratively nothing 
of the hardships and pleas- 
ures attendant upon pioneer 
Tlie attractiveness of our 
heiutiful farms and picturesque 
landscapes, dotted here and there 
with neat and substantial residen- 
ces, present a pleasing picture in 
strong contrast with the humble 
loj; cabin of 1854, whose walls 
shelttred a few articles of rude fur- 
niture, and the stumps in the door- 
jard were repositories for cross-cut 
saws, the beetle and the ax. Many 
of the children who were born beneath these humble 
roofs, whose infantile cries were hushed by a tender 
mother's soft lullaby as she carefully rocked them to 
sleep in a cradle improvised from a basswood sugar- 
trough, are the men who now fill official positions, 
and conduct the business affairs of this county. 

The log cabin yet remains; silent and unpreten- 
tious it stands, reminding us of former days and as- 
sociations. Who can look at one of these relics of 
pioneer life and not call to mind the toil and priva- 
tions of early days.' She whose willing iiands and 





warm heart helped you fight life's battles, plied the *s 
busy needle, or prepared the frugal meal around the ^ 
huge fire-place, whose crumbling remains are yet visi- q 
ble, is perhaps sleeping the sleep of death, while <^° 
another enjoys the fruits of her toil and care. Si- ^ 
lently you gazed on the features of that wan little ^ 
one in that old cabin as its spirit winged its flight, «; 
and now the bodies of them both are resting side by r 
side in the City of the Dead. Such memories cluster 
about the old log cabin that you can hardly lay rude 
hands upon the decayed material, even to remove it. 
Every log and chink has a history, and, could they 
speak, would relate a story worth listening to. But 
these relics must give place to the more substantial 
and modern improvements, and ere another decade 
has passed scarcely a trace will remain of pioneer 
life. 

It is not a long time since the first entry of land 
was made in this county, nor since the date when the 
first white inhabitant pitched his tent, and built a 
log cabin to shelter his family from the inclement 
weather, as well as to afford them protection from 
the howling wolves or the crafty Indians. Should an 
attemi)t be made to go back to the time that the first 
white man set foot u[>on this territory, much specula- 
tion would have to be indulged in and no real benefit 
derived by the reader. Missionaries, the advance 
and advancers of civilization, are said to have visited 
Detroit as early as the year 1620. This was when it 



JSi^^ 



-K:^n!i^tin;t>A^ — '^'^^ 







\^>^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■erV<^^llIl^I 



-i^^5f®v(i^ 



(h 






>:> 



V 



'oN 



was under French control, many years before the 
fondest hopes and imaginations of man conceived 
that he in time should be the happy recipient of this 
fertile virgin soil, and the favored jwssessor of that 
highest of civil and ixilitical rights, personal and po- 
litical freedom. 

\11 this wilderness remained under French and 
British rule until 1787, when it was ceded to the 
United States by Virginia, to whom it then belonged, 
and became what was historically known as the 
Northwest Territory. In 1805, the Territory of Mich- 
igan was formed and set off, with the seat of govern- 
ment at Detroit, where it remained until 1847, when 
it «sras removed to Lansing. The old capitol build- 
ing at the latter place, a frame structure, was 
destroyed by fire in 1881, and nothing remains a 
memento of its primitive style. That magnificent 
building, the new State Capitol, stands 50 to 100 
rods northwest of the site of the old one. 

The territory embraced by Isabella County was set 
apart at the organization of the State, and remained 
so until Nov. 28, i86r, when the first tract of land 
was entered by Aloney Rust, it being the southwest 
quarter of section 4, in township 15 north, of range 
3 west. A few other tracts were entered by specula- 
tors during that and subsequent years. In October, 
1854, Daniel Brickley, John Stewart, Andrew F. 
Childs, James Wilsey, Daniel Childs, James Camp- 
bell, George Reasoner, Charles F. Young, M. J. Hall 
and P. H. Estee, each entered a quarter-section 
under the " Graduation Act," at 50 cents per acre, 
and most of tliem soon settled upon and commenced 
improving their purchase. 

The first road was cut from the south line of tlie 
county to Salt River aliout the first of November, 
1854, which was the first step toward subduing this 
country. On the seventh day of November, Joseph 
Roberts, Sen., Patrick Fanning and Tliomas Roberts, 
with their fann'Hes, moved into the county over the 
new thoroughfare, and are entitled to the honor of 
being the first families in the county. 

Nov. 21, Daniel Brickley and John Stewart moved 
their families into the woods on the west side of Coe 
Township. Settlements were then made ra[)idly, and 
in December George Hursh and Lewis Jenner cut 
a road from Brickley "s place to the farm of John M. 
Hursh, south of where the village of Ml. Pleasant is 
now located. 

On the 25th day of February, 1855, Mr. Hursh 



moved to this farm and formed the first nucleus for a 
settlement in the central jwrtion of the county. 
About the same time, John Fraser crossed the Titta- 
bawassee River, and with two or three others cut a 
road along Pine River to the Old Indian Mission, 
then across to the land which he had entered and 
subsequently improved. 

The early settlers upon coming into the new coun- 
try found themselves subject to the pressing demands 
of nature. Away from civilization, yet they must 
live. After the first meager supply was exhausted 
they were obliged to go out after more, and the near- 
est point for trade was Maple Rapids or Fish Creek, 
both being 45 miles distant. Thither they were 
obliged to go, not only for provisions, flour, etc., but 
also to obtain their mail. Necessity is the mother 
of invention, and each week's travel over almost im- 
j)assabie roads gave them ample time for reflection, 
which soon suggested the idea of having mills at 
home, and "hand-mills" were introduced. The first 
one was purchased by Daniel Brickley, John Stewart 
and others, who used it for grinding their own corn, 
and allowed their neighbors to use it at a rental of 
one shilling per bushel. Some of the settlers were 
not willing to pay what they considered an extrava- 
gant toll, and resorted to the more primitive way of 
grinding in a coffee-mill, or shaving it down with a 
jack plane. A few of them used a trough made 
from a black ash log, in which the corn was placed 
and beaten to the requisite degree of fineness with 
an iron wedge which had been driven into the end of 
a hand-spike. Wild game was very plentiful, which 
furnished the basis of their meat siqiply, only a few 
being able to purchase bacon or other salt meats. 

Their garments were not made by dressmakers and 
tailors, nor were they of faultless fit or of the finest 
material; yet all seemed to be satisfied with their lot 
in life, and those of the early settlers who are yet 
living unanimously declare that the good feeling and 
harmony which prevailed at an early day was infinitely 
greater than it is now, when surrounded l)y everything 
which wealth can procure or mind suggest. Neigh- 
borhood ipiarrels and scandals were unknown. 
Everybody was interested in the welfare of those 
about him, and all vied with each other in promoting 
harmony and happiness in the community. 

In 1855, a treaty was made by the Government 
with the remnants of several tribes of Indians which 



»^ 



A 



^: 






r7 



.i^i 



<' 



I 

remained in Clinton, Saginaw and Gratiot Counties, ^ 

> 



;^v/^®^(^#- 



^u^^iixsr 



B®-*^ 



i:-^:illl>> 



T 



^^^ , ,_ 

^r^ whereby nearly the whole of six townships in thii 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



"^\ 



-|1^J(^<^ 



537 



f 



% 



county were ceded them and their descendants for 
life. What was known as the " Indian Mills " was 
soon after built by the Government on the Chippewa, 
about one mile from Mt. Pleasant; also a council- 
~Y house to be used by the Indians. This led to the 
formation of a settlement on the river known as Isa- 
bella City, which has never been of much imiwrt- 
ance, although some shops and a store or two were 
built. F. C. Babbitt, with his family, were among the 
first to settle in the embryonic village. The hotel 
was built by W. H. Nelson, who also located there, 
^a^ and was afterward elected Judge of Probate. ( hip- 
^ pewa River was the only thoroughfare into the cen- 
tral part of the county, except one road which could 
scarcely be traveled, and all tlie supplies were 
brought hither in a canoe. 

Privations of every sort were experienced, but the 
pioneers never flagged. They had made a stand, 
and nothing could cause them to falter. They had 
the soil and the will, and their labors have at last 
'^ been crowned with success. The great forests have 
mostly been removed, and the soil gives forth abund- 
ant harvests. No greater monuments to their indus- 
try can be erected than can be seen everywhere in 
substantial improvements, and the rapid increase in 
the value of real estate is unprecedented by any sec- 
tion in the State. The past should be to us all a 
valuable lesson (as history is but an experience of 
tiie past), from which we learn that by perseverance in 
our own honest efforts, working at all times by the 
standard of honesty and moral integrity, we cannot 
experience defeat ; but, like the pioneers who have 
J spent the best years of their lives in clearing and 



:<^' 



V 



) 



"I 



A 



otherwise improving the country, we shall not only 
succeed, but like them shall also deserve the admira- 
tion and blessing of future generations. They were 
heroes of a true type, and too much praise cannot be 
awarded them. 

Isabella C'ounty was organized in US59, and was 
composed of three townshijjs, Coe, Chippewa and 
Isabella. The first mentioned was named after 
Lieut. Gov. Albert G. Coe. Originally it comprised 
townships 13 and 14 north, of 3 west, and the re- 
mainder of the county comi)rised the townshi[)s of 
Chippewa and Isabella. 

The first meeting of the Board of Supervisors was 
held at the house of John Hursh, May 9, 1857, at 
which meeting P. H. Estee, of Coe Township, was 



Y 

'^^^^m^ 



Chairman. Norman C. Payne, of Chippewa, and A. 
G. Ferris, of Isabella, with I. E. Arnold as Clerk, 
constituted the Board. Their first official act was to 
approve the bond of Richard Hoy as County Treas- 
urer; the next, to issue $1,500 in bonds to relieve the 
destitute of the county, a petition asking for aid hav- 
ing been presented. William K. Robbins was ap- 
pointed to negotiate these bonds, but was authorized 
to take no less than 75 cents on the dollar for the 
same, the tnoney to be used in purchasing provisions, 
etc., which were to be sold on credit to those wishing 
the goods, on two years' time, he taking their notes 
with real estate for security. Several hundred dol- 
lars of these bonds were thus disjxjsed of, and those 
most in need were substantially relieved for the time. 
These were the days which tried men's souls, as 
the entire cro[) for two years was almost a complete 
failure, there being but little improved land in the 
county, while their families were located in a wilder- 
ness, and in iriany cases without food or the means 
to purchase any. Only by the most rigid self-denial, 
and in some cases real suffering, did those brave pio- 
neers maintain their ground and support their fami- 
lies. A glance over these broad acres and the well 
filled granaries present no traces of the destitution 
which then prevailed, not only in Isabella, but also 
in other portions of Northern Michigan, during the 
eventful years of 1857-9. 

The Government lands were taken out of market 
in 1855, and none were sold for eight years. Those 
who had previously purchased under the "Gradua- 
tion Act" were in good spirits, by reason of having 
had choice of the magnificent tracts of timber, which 
were composed of the finest specimens of pine, maple, 
ash and elm. The withdrawal of the lands from sale 
retarded the settlement of this county very greatly, 
but this may have been of benefit nevertheless, as 
those who then came were mostly men of means, 
which resulted in a rapid development of the county. 
The first county order was issued to M. D. Davis, 
for services in drawing a jury. It was written on 
foolscap paper, and read as follows: 

$(10.7.-.. 

Tri'imnrcr of hdhidhi Cotinhj: V:\\ lo M. D. I):ivi-. or 

bearer, 7.')-l(H)lhs dollars out of nioiiey in y ■ liamls 

raised for iiieidi'Mtals. 

N;i1h.11:i feiilro, Oet. 11. l.s:.!). 
lKviN(. i:. .\i:n>ii.i>. Clerk. V. 11. Estke, 

Cliairman of Ike Board of Supervisors- 



Jr":'??^J^ 



-^^ii!]^:nD;>^ 



k^;^ 



4^^f 



^5 



f 




Z^^^^i^s^^^' 



V^ 



lr:>r 



->u^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



m 



4/ 



The first wolf certificates were issued in favor of 
Isaiah Ah-pwa-qiia-hua, John Peboom and Abraham 
% Ah-ne-mah-gue-hong. Wolves were quite plentiful 
and the early settlers tell many stories of their un- 
earthly howling at night while camped in the forest 
during the erection of their cabins. They were never 
known to attack man in this region, although they 
would follow him at a safe distance for hours. 
Game of every kind was very plentiful, the fuj-bear- 
ing animals especially being numerous. Messrs. 
William Miles and John Landon, both well known 
men residing in Chippewa Township, have killed 
more game perhaps than any two men in the county, 
and hunted there only at intervals during the hunting 
season, both being farmers and having their lands, 
stock, etc., to care for. Keeping largely within 
bounds, they estimate that during tlie past i8 years 
they have killed over 300 deer, 17 wolves, 30 bears, 
and hundreds of smaller fur-bearing animals. 

The first Fourth-of-July celebration was held at the 
house of Henry Sherman, in 1854. Although there 
were only two families living in the county at that 
time, yet they were imbued with as much patriotism 
as are the people of to-day. Mrs. John M. Hursh is 
authority for the statement tjiat on July 4 of that 
year their family went to the cabin of Henry Sher- 
man, their nearest and only neighbor, to celebrate our 
) natal day. A grand dinner was served of roast [xsrk 
and sturgeon. Mr. Sherman made a speech, and 
they sang the "Star-Spangled Banner," fired off their 
guns and made as grand a demonstration as ix)ssible 
under the circumstances. 

The first Fourth-of-July celebration that was pub- 
licly observed was in 1861, at the house of James 
Campbell, at Salt River. Norman C. Payne was 
President of the Day, Hon. P. H. Estee read the 
Declaration of Independence, and Hon. Nelson 
Mosher delivered an address. A jrale was raised 
which was 120 feet in height^ from whose tip floated 
a beautiful flag made by Mesdames James Campbell, 
D. D. Burham, H. O. Bigelow, James Wilsey, Wil- 
liam R. Robbins and P. H. Estee. The ladies 
hoisted the flag with their own hands, and prepared 
a bountiful dinner, which was spread in the woods, 
and to which the entire assemblage were invited. 
Fully 1,000 persons were entertained at this bamiuet. 
The pole stood a memento of that festive occasion 
until the night of the assassination of President 



v 



:<$ 



(^ 



- ^ 



Abraham Lincoln, when it was blown down in a 
storm. 

Miss Carrie Kilbourn taught the first school in this 
county, in a log school-house near Salt River. 

The first couple married in the county was Daniel 
Robinson and Jane Foutch. W. H. Stewart, a Jus- 
tice of the Peace, performed the ceremony and re- 
ceived his pay in "coon-skins," which at that time 
were iiractically "legal tender" for everything except 
taxes. 

There are several claimants for the honor of being 
the first female child born in the county. Mrs. John 
M. Hursh says that she and her husband came to 
the county in February, 1854, and her daughter Isa- 
bella was born in June following. It is also stated 
that Mary A. Fanning was born May 5, 1855, and 
Isabella Campbell also in the summer of that year. 
If Mrs. Hursii's story is correct, her daughter is un- 
doubtedly the first. We leave this matter to be set- 
tled by our readers, but one of the three is certainly 
the first, and all of them the first girls born in Isa- 
bella, which entitles each to a place in the history of 
their native county. 

.Adelbert Reynolds was the first male chiU! born in 
the county, without doubt. 

It would be wrong for us to leave it for open con- 
jecture as to whether the early settlers brought with 
them all of the desires and requisites of a high civili- 
zation : the moment we begin to inquire, we find that 
they did. On the 25th of March, 1855, at the house 
of Eber Hamilton, religious services were held, Rev. 
Charles Taylor preaching the first sermon ever de- 
livered in the county. Services were held by apiwint- 
ment at different houses in the neighborhood for some 
time. After school-houses were erected in different 
localities, it was more convenient for the people to 
attend worship, and nearly everybody attended divine 
services. The pioneers were mostly of the better 
class, morally speaking, and very few disagreements 
among neighbors arose. 

The first brick house erected in the county was the 
handsome residence of Mr. John l.andon, in Chip- 
pewa Township. This is a credit to the enteriirising 
spirit of Mr. Landon, whose fine farm ranks among 
the first in the county in excellence and character of 
improvements. 

The first corner's inquest was held on the body of 
James Robinson, who was drowned at Isabella Dam 



<^ 



r=i 



V 



(^: 



f 



J^^l?*- 



^Syf^f'^b^Cm 



■^m'^.w^y^ — ^s^"^ 






n 



% 
T 






>^ 






I SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



~:^-^i- 



-^^^^(^Vffl) 



539 



on the 22d of April, 1859. Thomas Chatfield, an 
Indian, was the Coroner. Tlie jury was composed 
of three white men and three Indians. 

The first piano brought into this county was a 
present from Mr. F. C Babbitt to his daughter Nellie. 
This piano was brought up the Chippewa on an In- 
dian canoe. 

The first lawsuit in the county was held in the 
township of Coe, in 1856, before J. Q. A. Johnson, 
J. P., in a case wherein two neighbors, Daniel Brickley 
and D. Childs, had disagreed about some sap troughs. 
The difference was only $4, and lo save expense each 
pleaded his own case. 

The first |)ostmaster ajipointed in the county was 
William R. Kobbins, who received his commission 
-Vug. 8, 1857. This office was located at Salt River. 
The first mail was carried on foot, and the route lay 
between Maple Rapids and Salt River, passing 
through Gratiot County. The first flouring mill was 
built by John Reynolds on Salt River. This was 
the first frame structure erected in the county, and 
was built in 1856. The next year the Indian mills 
were built at Isabella City, but were not accepted by 
the Indian Agent, Rev. A. M. Fitch, until the follow- 
ing year. T^is mill was built by Mr. Penmont, who 
had to transport all the machinery up the Chippewa 
from Saginaw, upon two Indian canoes lashed to- 
gether, ujwn which a sort of deck was built. 

Those who travel over tlie nicely graded roads of 
the county to-day, cannot realize how utterly impos- 
sible it was for teams to draw a wagon at an early 
day along the narrow paths cut through the woods, 
whicli in many instances led across swamps almost 
impassable for man, not speaking of the greater diffi- 
culty experienced by animals. In reviewing tlie 
situation, the old pioneer invariably remarks, " I 
don't see how we ever did it." Even yet, "corduroy" 
roads are freiiuently found across some of the bogs; 
and without this method of filling in, it would have 
been impos>iible to cross the swam])s, which in many 
places abounded in ijuick-sand. 

The first schools in the county, although held in 
log houses, were presided over by skilled teachers, 
and students received the benefits of a thorough dis- 
cipline in educational matters from the beginning. 
At this day it seems crude and uncomfortable to see 
a log school-house, with long pine slabs for seats, 
uix)n which are perched from 10 to 15 pupils who, 



without desk or blackboard, are busily engaged in V> 
obtaining an elementary education ; yet there are a ^r'^ 
few still in the county built of logs; but all are ;^;, 
equipped with fair school furniture. Although de- 
prived of many advantages now possessed by chil- 
dren attending our public schools, there were many 
of the youth of both sexes attending school in those 
early days who are now ranked among the most 
talented business men and accomplished ladies of 
the country. Their education, although not a com- 
IX)und of Greek, Latin and French, has been of that 
practical kind which taught them how many pounds 
a bushel of corn, wheat or oats weighed, and how to 
compute interest at any given rate per cent. Such 
an education was worth infinitely more than one of 
the fashionable educations received to-day. 

The first flowers cultivated in Isabella County 
were brought here by Mrs. A. Babbitt, who lived at 
an early day in Isabella City. They were sent from 
Cleveland, her former home, and were guarded with 



^ 



C>] 



jealous care. Mrs. Babbitt was a great favorite with "S^ 
the Indians, and her title of Wa-sash-com-mo-iiua •^'■ 
(the woman who brings light) was conferred upon her = 
by the renowned chieftain, Sa-shaw-na-bees, who •'^» 
often came to her house for his dinner. He was one T=r. 
of the best Indians that ever inhabited this region, 
and every confidence was reposed in him by wiiite 
men. 

The house built by Mr. Babintt at Isabella City 
was small, having only one room, in which were two 
windows and one door. The Indians would frequently 
slii) in unobserved, but never ap])ropriated anything 
belonging therein. Mrs. Babbitt says : " It was no 
unusual thing for me to return home and find a half ^ 
dozen Indians squatted on th 

and they often came to the windows, where, with r 
eyes shaded, they peered inside, seemingly surprised 
to note the manner in which my household affairs 
were conducted." To this day the Indians love her 
with the same fondness displayed _^o years ago, and 
all of them know her name. 

Judge Wilbur F. Woodworth licid the first Circuit 
C'ourt in 1858, at Isabella Center, Dr. Jeffries had 
built a log court-house, but all his schemes failed to 
hold the county seat. 

There might have been previous law cases, but the 



<T^ 



^4 



first one apjiearing on the Circuit Court Journal is (^ 



from the township of Isabella, wherein Charles B, ^ 



i 



v<>01i:t:illir>r 



-*4^^^^ 



(h 



540 



ISABELLA COUIVTV. 



Young obtained a judgment for $100.80. This was 
the only law case tried at the January term of 1866. 

The first petit jury was summoned by Charles 
Rodd, the first Sheriff, July 11, 1859. 

L. C. Bright was the first man fined for assault and 
battery in the county, but the penalty was the nomi- 
nal sum of one dollar; nevertheless, it becomes 
historic, being the first dollar paid into the county 
treasury. Only the first things are of the greatest 
importance in making historical mention of this cliar- 



In this connection the mention of the first church 
building is made, which was built on the southwest 
quarter of section 4, 14 north and 4 west, near the 
Mission School-house. It was dedicated in February, 
1 86 1, and was destroyed by fire in June of that year. 
Another church was then built on the Indian reser- 
vation, at "Ne-bee-sing." Both these houses were 
built for the benefit of the Indians. 

The first official census of Isabella County was 
taken in 1S60, at which time there were 67 fi.imilies 
in Coe, and every family with a male head. In Chi[)- 
pewa, at the same time, there were 24 families, in- 
cluding 167 persons. Union and Isabella had 28 
families, which at that time included Clare county in 
its territory. At that date, i860, there were but 577 
whites, and 856 Indians, making the total jjopulation 

i>433- 

The county has rapidly developed in the last 12 or 
14 years, and is possessed of good soil and timber in 
plenty. Tis true that pioneer life has had its hard- 
ships ; but it also had its pleasures, and their high 
hopes have been fully realized in the beautiful homes, 
the prosperity of the county and, best of all blessings, 
excellent health, a boon which it seems was vouch- 
safed to all the early settlers. 

The early days in the history of Isabella are ones 
long to be remembered. Mrs. Ellen Woodworth 
gave some graphic descriptions of the way ladies 
used to dress. Many of them went barefoot, and 
some of the wealthiest ladies of this county to-day 
used to braid their own straw hats. One of the ladies, 
whose name has been forgotten, came to visit her one 
day, the visit being principally to show a new delaine 
dress recently purchased. She was not the possessor 
(® of a pair of shoes, but tiie new dress compensated 
^ for lack of foot gear. The costume worn by the 



ro 









(^ 



z 




<^' 



m^ 



;<^c 



delegation of ladies who made and hoisted the flag 
at the Fourth-of-July celebration in 1861, related on 
a preceding page, consisted of white cotton skirts 
with a short calico blouse. This, in that early day, 
constituted a "full-dress" costume. 

The people in those days thought nothing of walk- 
ing five or ten miles to church, or to spend the day in 
visiting a newcomer. Every one was anxious for the 
welfare of his neighbors ; and when one of them was 
ready to raise a log cabin, all the settlers for miles 
around was ready to lend a heljjing hand. 

One thousand and five hundred dollars was voted 
by the Board of Supervisors in i860 to defray the 
expenses of the county. This was certainly a modest 
amount to begin with, considering there weie several 
salaried officers to be paid. 

The Gratiot News, of Ithaca, Ovatiot C'ounty, 
published the first report of the Board of Supervi 
sors of this county, in 1861. 

The total amount of State and county ta.x for that 
year was $1,035.07, of which $160.71 was personal 
lax, divided among tlie several townships as follows: 
•Isabella, $79.84; Coe, $40.07 ; Union, $86.12; Chip- 
pewa, $5.42. 

The i)eople of this county iiad a serious time in 
appropriating money to build the present court-house, 
efforts having been made by the Supervisors for sev- 
eral years in that direction, but at the polls their 
schemes met with an invariable defeat. Through the 
management of I. A. Fancher, then the Senator of 
this district in the State Legislature, in 1876, the sum 
of $10,486.76, due this county from some erroron the 
part of the State Auditor on the detaching of Clare 
County, was recovered by special act. This fund 
being thus secured, the Supervisors appropriated 
$10,000 of the amount for the purpose of building a 
court-house; $2,000 more was added by the citizens, 
and $1,000 raised by taxation. The contract was let 
to Henlmeter & Kaiser, in May, 1876. The corner- 
stone was laid by the Masonic fraternity, assisted by 
other secret organizations, July 28, of that year. '^ 
The building committee was I. E. .-Vrnold, Wm. R. ' 
Crowley, Wm. M. Peterson, Samuel Kennedy and H. 'A ; 
H. Graves. The building was completed Oct. 26, Jjjy 
1877, which with the furniture cost the county $16,- }^ 
190.49, — every dollar of which was paid the day it ^ y 
was ready for occupancy. >_ 






e^: 



s>> 



( 



m 

I 
I 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^■-V-y^. 



(3> 



9. 









^ 



S4t 




-^ 



Wm 



' ^ < s '- 



QMmmmM 




4i^ 

' \ HE county ol Isabella has 
ijeen strictly Republican from 
the date of its organization 
until the past four years. 
The Independent, or "Green- 
iack," element, is, however,' 
.^rowing stronger day by day, 
and It IS confidently expected that 
the next election will bring about a 
marked change in the political field, 
lie that as it may, Isabella County 
has been well governed during all 
these years, and is now out of debt, 
with a nice balance in her treasury. 
Her people are enterprising, honest 
and mdustrious, and let come what 
will in the political fight, there is no 
doubt of the ability of her officials to manage pro})- 
erly the affairs of the county and subserve her inter- 
ests in every way. 

The following is a list of all the county officials 
elected since its organization, with the date when 
each was elected. Where more than one year is in- 
dicated, the party was elected for more tii.in one 
term, and for the year given : 

County Officers. 

SHKRll'I'S. 

Charles H. Rodd (Indian). .. 1859 

John Meisler i860 

Henry Dunton 1862 

John Q. A. Johnson 1864 

Ransom Kyes 1 866 

Tunis W. Swart 186S 




^:y>^f^ 



A<^il!]:^nii;i>^ 



John Ma.xwell 1870 

Thomas J. Fordyce. 1872-4 

Tunis W. Swart i S76 

Charles M. Brooks 1878-80 

Thomas Pickaid 1 882 

COUNTY CLERKS. 

I. E. Arnold 1859 

Wm. H. Nelson i860 

Norman C. Payne 1862 

Milton Bradley 1864 

C. C. Foutch 1866 

James T. Wei i)er 1 868 

Cornelius Bennett 1 870 

Daniel E. Lyon 1872 

Joel C. Graves 1874 

John W. Hance 1876-8 

Lewis C. Griffith 1880-2 

CnUNT\' TUKASURF.RS. 

Richard Hoy 1 859 

Nelson Mosher 1860-2 

Langdon Hently 1S64-6 

Nelson Mosher 1 868-70 

John Maxwell 1872-76 

Alexander Brodic 1 878-80 

Wallace W. Preston 1 882 

Rr.CISTKR OF UK.KDS. 

Milton iiradley 1859 

Norman C. Payne 1860-2 

W. W. Preston 1864 

C. C. Foutch ■ 1866 

James T. Weli)er 1 868 • 

Cornelius Bennett 1870-2 

Joel C. Graves 1874 



e 






$>: 






I 



#- 



'542 



f 



^ 
^ 



> 

(!) 



;^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^^^^®\%. 



John W. Hance 


.1876-8 


William H. Nelson. 




i860 




1880 
1882 


Malcomb D. Davis. 
Isaac A. Fancher . . 




1862 


Michael Murtha 


1864 


JUDGES OF PKOllATE. 




Emory H. Bradley. 




1866 


James Wilsey 


if5s9 






1868 








Perry H. Estee 


i860 


Irving E. Arnold.. . 




1870 


Wm. H. Nelson 


1864 


Anson R. Arnold. . 




.872-76 


Richard Hoy 


1868 


Almond K. Herrington 


,878 


William W. Stnible 


1872 


Joseph A. Graham . 




1880-2 


John Q. A. Johnson 


1876 


CORONERS. 




Cornelius Bennett 


1880 


1859. 




1870. 


PROSECUTING A'l'TORNKVS. 












Thomas C. Cliatfield 


Delos E 


romm 


Nelson Mosher 


■I'^SQ 


H. Bigelow 


Simeon C. Brown 


James P. Mosher 


i860 


W. H. Stout 




1872. 


Moses Tompkins 


1862 








1864 
I 865-8 
1870 


1S60. 
J. Q. A. Johnson 
John Collins 


Gideon 
Joshua 


S. Case 




Miller 


Isaac A. Fancher 


1874. 


Albert Fox. 


1872 


Daniel Brickley 


Levi A. 


Crane 


Samuel W. Hopkins 


1874 


1S62. 


John Q 


A. Johnson 


Asa M. Tinker 


1876 


Andrew J. Goodsell 




1876. 


Michael Devereaux 


1878 


Francis '1'. Cushway 


Allen J. 


Struble 


Peter F. Dodds 


1880 


John Meiscr 


Solon D 


. Coon 


Charles T. Russell 


1882 


.1864. 




.878. 


CIRCUIT COURT COMMISSIONERS. 


Albert L. Chatfield 


Jesse J. 


Struble 


Nelson Mosher 


1859 


Milton Bradley 


James H. Seely 


James P. Mosher 


1S60 


Lyman Bennett 




iSSo. 




1862 


1866. 


Henry A. Dunton 


Isaac A. Fancher 


1864 


James C. Caldwell 


Jason A 


. Hunt 


Cornelius Bennett 


1866 


Oliver P. Comers 




1882. 


Myron McLarren 


1868 


1868. 


Henry 1 


!urr 


Isaac A. Fancher 


1870 
1872 


Jesse J. Struble 
William J. Pratt 


Jesse H 


lordon. 


Albert Fox 




Asa M. Tinker 


1874 












SUPERINTENDENTS OF SCHOOLS. 


Simeon C. Brown 


1876 

187S-S0 








Asa M. Tinker 


John 15. Young. . . . 




1869 


Simeon CI Brown 


18S2 


C'harles (). Curtis. . 




1871-3 


SURVEYORS. 




(The county superintend 


ency system was abolished 


Willi:im M. Davis 


'859 


in 1X75.) 







V&) 



C 



1=3 



^ 



<^.' 



-"SfiCC^®^*^— ►'! 



SI-S/OTTrjv 



^-V(^^«$itr 




I 



T 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 





t. 



4^ . ^ 

* OWN SHIP history is an es- 
sential and prominent part 
of county history. The vari- 
ous (larts of Isabella County 
were settled by men most of 
whom have representatives 
now living in the county, 
and some of them yet reside in the 
townships in which they were born. 
The southern tier of townships was 
first settled, being nearest to and 
adjoining Gratiot County, wliich 
was settled somewhat before its or- 
ganization in 1855. Previous to its 
organization, which was in the year 
1 85 9, it was attached to Midland 
County for judicial and munici- 
pal pur|X)ses. 
A careful perusal of the incidents relating to the 
early settlement of the several townships will repay 
the reader, as each one contains the names of the 
first settlers, and many other items which are reipiired 
to make the history complete. Almost every town- 
ship claims the honor of having the first settler in 
the county located in her borders; but with the 
most careful reference to dates, Coe is awarded the 
palm. Be that as it may, each has furnished many 
men who for integrity and worth cannot be excelled 



in any country, and they reflect great credit upon the 
county they represent, politically or socially. 



Coe Township. 

^r|i^N-|3C)E Township was organized in 1855, and 
J^^t^ has ([uite an important history, being the 
gg^ first township organized in Isabella County, 
and having the first entry of land made in it, 
in October, 1854, by Judge P. H. Estee, who 
located the northwest ciuarter of section 1 8, 
in 13 north and 3 west. At that time, there was 
neither white man nor Indian in the county. There 
were only two houses in St. Louis, two in Alma, 
and but one or two diminutive cabins north of 
Pine River. Oct. 10, 1854, Daniel Brickley, William 
B. Bowen, Daniel Childs, Eben Willard, John Slew- 
art and James Woolsey, came with the intention of 
making Isabella their home, Messrs. Woolsey, Brick- 
ley and Stewart being the first men to bring their 
families into the county. 

Coe is bounded on the norlii iiy Chippewa Town- 
ship, on the east by Midland County, the south by 
Gratiot County, and the west by Lincoln Township. 
It is numbered 13 north and 3 west. 

The first road cut through the forest of Isabella 






(o) 



m 



^^ 



544 



h 



(^ 



A 



>J 



V 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^^® 



^ 



I 



County was commenced Nov. i, of that year. It 
commenced at the south line of the county near John 
Thomas's and extended to Salt River. The men 
who were engaged in this, really the most important 
work in the development of a new country, were 
Messrs. William B. Bowen, William Adams, James 
Shepherd, J. B. Walton, George and Dow Greenfield. 

On the evening the road was opened, John Stewart 
and Daniel Brickley came with their families. The 
next day Jacob Middaugh, W. Middaugh and John 
Hendershot came over the road with an ox team. 
On the 7th day of November, Jos. Roberts, Sr., 
Patrick Fanning and Thomas Roberts, with their 
famihes, moved uix)n section 10, 13 north and 3 
west. They were the first families coming into the 
county, and to them is due the honor of breaking 
into the wilderness and planting the seeds of civili- 
zation. 

William R. Bowen was the first Supervisor of Coe, 
and tlie first township meeting was held in April, 
7856, at the house of James Campbell. 

The first general election held in the county was 
at William Campbell's house, in November, 1856 
when 66 votes were polled; there being no printing 
press in the county, the tickets were written with pen 
and ink. 

Coe Township is one of the best in the county for 
agriculture, being well watered and nicely drained 
by Salt River and its tributaries. Coe was originally 
well timbered, but now it is the most highly improved 
and thickly settled township in the county. 

Salt River, a small village of less than 300 in- 
habitants, is located on the southwest quarter of sec- 
tion 9. There are a post-office, hotel, blacksmith 
and wagon shop, stores, etc., all of which do quite a 
nice business, the village being halfway between Mt. 
Pleasant and St. Louis. Salt River was platted by 
E. Moore, and afterward G. W. Miller platted 
" Miller's Addition." It is a fine place, in an ex- 
cellent farming country, with a limited water power. 
A saw-mill and planer, one mile below the village, 
has been sustained for a number of years. The first 
lodge of Free and Acceiited Masons in the county 
was organized at this place, in 1S7 i, and has a large 
memijership. In 1874, the I. C). (). F. was estab- 
lished here and has a large number of members. 

In this township arc numerous school-houses and 
churches, and the youth of this community are 
rapidly advancing in the arts and sciences. 



Among the names of the Supervisors of Coe Town- 
ship will be recognized the names of some of the 
foremost business men and able financiers of Isabella 
County. Their names are appended, together with 
the years served in an official capacity. 

SUPERVISORS. 

Perry H. Estee 
William R. Robbins 
Horace O. I^igelow 



f 



^ 



William R. Robbins 
James Wilsey 
Perry H. Estee 
Samuel Kennedy 
Perry H. Estee 
Jacob L. Fordyce 
S. C. Brown 
Perry H. Estee 
Richard Hoy 
Perry H. Estee 
Richard Hoy 
Thomas Hannett 



'859 

i860 

1 86 1 

1862-3 

1864 

1866 

1867 

1868-70 

187 1-72 

'873 
1874 

•87s 
1876-78 
1879 
1880-84. 



Chippewa Township. 



(■ 



c^: 



sy 

^ 



'^^^^ 



.^^^ 



<m% 



^OM^HIPPEWA was one of the first townships 
|)l^^fc organized in the county. It was also one ( 
^W' of the first townships settled by the whites. 
yU As early as 1 850-1, there were several families 
'A residing inside her boundaries, among whom 
might be mentioned Norman and William 
Payne, William Foutch, Geo. W. Howorth and Rev. 
Charles Taylor. Mr. Taylor was the first minister ^ 
in the county of the Methodist faith, and has been g> 
for many years, and is still, doing a large amount of ^j 
good by inculcating the doctrines of that denomi- 
nation among {he people in his neighborhood. The 
men above mentioned cut their way from Alma to 
Salt River, and thence on to the lands they had se- 
lected in Chippewa Township. William Payne's 
daughter Ida was the first child born in this township, ^ 
if not in the county. John Landon is another one \ 
of the prominent settlers, although coming at a much ^X, 
later date. He was a penniless boy, but indomitable l*'. 
energy has in his case been rewarded, he being now ^'J 
one of the wealthiest farmers on Chippewa Town- -V^ 
ship. His present residence was the first brick house 'j 



m 

i 

h 



-^^K c'V4:DIl^llll>> 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



built in the county, and his outbuildings rank among 
the finest in the State. 

Mr. Landon and Win. Miles have been inse|)arable 
companions for a number of years; and, living within 
a convenient distance of each other, have indulged 
their liking for field sports to its fullest extent. Tlieir 
hunting record is given elsewhere, but an anecdote 
or two are here related of their hunting exploits. In 
the spring of 1883, they were out hunting, and night 
came on. The distance was fully three miles be- 
tween them, and the woods were very dense, and a 
favorite rendezvous for bears. Miles lay down on a 
\ bed of pine boughs, and covered himself and his 
dog with a blanket in order to keep the animal from 
running after any game which might be prowling 
about. About midnight a bear came sniffing around, 
having discovered our friend so leisurely taking a nap. 
The breaking of the dry brush as the bear marched 
about awakened Mr. Miles, who, upon raising one 
edge of the blanket and discovering his bearship, 
took as good aim as possible in the darkness and 
fired. He missed the bear, but the moment the re- 
port of the gun was heard, the dog bounded after 
bruin and soon brought him to bay. This dog was 
one of the finest animals for bear-hunting ever 
owned by Mr. Miles, and had been trained for sev- 
eral years in all the mysteries of the chase ; yet he 
was unwary enough to get within reach of the bear's 
paws and was hugged by bruin until several of his 
ribs were crushed, and the hide nearly torn from his 
body, by that beast's murderous claws! Notwith- 
standing the darkness. Miles knew his pet was get- 
ting worsted, and, running up to the scene of conflict, 
placed his gun within a foot of the bear's head and 
sent a bullet crashing through his brain. 

After caring for the wounded dog as well as he 
was able. Miles started out to find Mr. Landon, 
knowing very nearly the place where he woukl biv- 
ouac. As daylight appeared, he saw Mr. Landon 
lying under a tree wrapped in his blanket, while all 
around him were plainly visible the footprints of an 
enormous bear, which had inspected the slee|)ing 
man from every point of the compass but feared to 
attack him. 

These two gentlemen killed a large deer in this 
county whose horns weighed 40 pounds, and upon 
wiiich were 35 enormous prongs ! This specimen is 



) 



/\ 



>^ 



V 



'f 



"^ 



J 
t) 




now in the museum at New York, the proprietor 
having been offered S'.ooo for it. Allowing one 
prong for each year, the animal was, when killed, 35 
years old. 

\Vm. Miles, and his son Charles, only 15 years of 
age, killed 29 deer last autumn. Charles bagged six 
of them alone. Florence, the eldest daughter, is one 
of the finest target shooters in the county, and han- 
dles a revolver with as much precision as she does her 
rifle. Without lowering her arm, she can send six 
balls inside a two-inch circle at 20 paces. Neither 
are these the least of her accomplishments. Aside 
from attending to the household duties, which de- 
volve entirely upon herself, she has acquired an ex- 
cellent education and knowledge of music. 

Only the west half of Chippewa Township is very 
well improved, a large portion of the lands in the 
eastern part being covered with heavy timber. Onion 
and Potter Creeks flow through the southern and 
eastern sections, Chippewa River also passing through 
the northern part of the township from west to east. 
Millions of feet of excellent lumber are awaiting the 
coming of the lumberman with his ax, and that de- 
partment of business will take precedence of agricul- 
ture for several years. 

Chippewa is bounded on the north by Denver 
Township, on the east by Midland County, on tlie 
south by Coe, and the west by Union Townships. 
It is numbered 14 north and 3 west. One postoffice, 
several school-houses, but no villages or railroads, 
can be mentioned in Chippewa. Tliis township has 
been served by the following 



supervisors: 



:^:i 



Norman C. Payne 
Marcus Grenell 
Ryland J. Hill 
Stephen Humphrey 
O. P. Converse 
William W. Struble 
Marcus Grenell 
Ephraim Salisbury 
Enoch Robliins 
Benjamin Wing 
Jacob Struble 



1859-61 

1862 

1863 

1S64 

1865-9 

1870-3 

1874 

1875-7 

1878-9 

1880-2 

1883-4. 









f^^^C(®>fl 




Zi:^;^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



(rt, 






>0 



V 

s 



(^ 




Isabella Township. 

SABELLA was organized in 1857, two years 
Ijt before the organization of the county. It 
originally embraced all the territory bounded 
by the county line, together with a part of Clare 
County, except townships 13 and 14 north, of 
range 3 west. Chas. A. Jeffries was Supervi- 
sor, and the business affairs were conducted at Mid- 
land, to which county Isabella was attached for ju- 
dicial and municipal purposes. .\s the years rolled 
by, the different towns were organized, leaving Isa- 
bella the same number of sections of which the 
others are composed. 

The boundaries of this township are as follows : 
On the north by Vernon, the east by Denver, the 
south by Union, and the west by Nottawa Townshij). 
It is numbered 15 north, and 4 west. The lands are 
well adapted to agricultural purposes, being well 
watered and yet undulating enough to drain the en- 
tire township. 

The Saginaw & Mt. Pleasant Railroad divides sec- 
tion 36 from northeast to southwest. There are 
several nice streams traversing this township, — all 
branches of the Tittabavvassee; and the timber was 
formerly very fine, but most of this has been removed. 
There are a number of Indians yet living in Isabella, 
and much of their lands are yet unimproved. Most 
of these lands will pass into the hands of the whites 
during the ne.xt five years, and the develoiiment of 
Isabella will rapidly ensue. 

Calkinsville, a small hamlet, is situated at the 
crossing of the roads between sections 10, 11, 14 and 
15. It has a store, hotel, blacksmith shop and 
school-house, besides several dwelling-houses, but 
has no commercial importance. 

Isabella was the home of Andrew J. Campau, one 
of the best known Indians of his day. He was 
really only a half-breed, being the son of a French- 
man, who now resides in Saginaw. Campau was 
naturally shrewd, and was born to command. He 
had quite a good education, and used to sway the 
Indian element just as he desired. His talent for 
nioney-getting was unecpialed, but his extravagant 
habits proved his ruin financially, socially and morally. 
He was at once the life and terror of any party with 







whom he was in company, for he was reckless when 
drinking, and this recreation consumed most of his 
time. He had a beautiful wife, of whom he became 
insanely jealous, so far as to endeavor to shoot Phil 
Gruett, a clerk in his store at Isabella City, whom he 
suspected of interference in his domestic affairs. 

Campau was very i)roud of his personal appear- 
ance, and thought nothing of paying $150 for a suit 
of clothes. His horses were of the fleetest and finest 
which money would procure. It is related that he, 
when in his cups, would harness a thoroughbred 
horse to a nice buggy, turn him loose and give him a 
cut with a whip just to see the buggy demolished as 
the frightened animal dashed frantically along the 
stumi)y road! 

hx one of the Indian camp-meetings, Campau 
created quite an excitement, which came near re- 
sulting disastrously for him. He purchased a fine 
suit of clotlies, and ornamented them with a hand- 
some jjair of silver epaulettes and a massive star; 
and, bringing with him several kegs of whisky, 
opened out a refreshment stand, and soon tiie In- 
dians were becoming quite hilarious. He declared 
that he had been appointed United States Marshal, 
and was authorized to arrest anyone whom he chose. 
The Indian .■\gent, Richard M. Smith, was on the 
ground, but feared to say anything, knowing the 
(|uarrelsome character of Campau when drinking. 
Smith went to Judge Bennett and asked him to use 
his influence in getting Campau off the ground, as 
there was sure to be trouble. The Judge spoke to 
Campau, who was strutting about the encampment 
but his words only served to exasperate the half- 
breed, who declared that if anything more was said 
lie would arrest Mr. Smith. This he afterward did 
and the Agent was led away with a pair of handcuffs 
clasped upon his wrists. He was turned loose, how- 
ever, Campau thinking that discretion in the case 
might save him from trouble with the United States 
C.overnment. He afterward apologized to Mr. Smith, 
and removed his whisky upon condition that no 
prosecutions should follow. 

Below are mentioned the names of those who have 
served Isabella Township as 

supervisors: 



Charles A. Jeffries, 
Albert G. Ferris, 
Charies H. Rodd, 



,857-S 

1859 
i860 



A 



^. 






r 



I 



':s>^!^ffL. 



^'WM^O^^ ^^- 



?^CZ_ 



r?:. 



-#^C^>v§^ 




(^ 






'^ 



o 



] 

I 



Douglas H. Nelson, 


1861-3 


W. A. Nelson, 


1864 


Douglas H. Nelson 


1S65 


G. W. Jeffries, 


1866-70 


John C Davis, 


1871 


H. H. Graves, 


1872 


John C. Davis 


1873-4 


Peter Jackson, 


1875-6 


John C. Davis 


.877-8 


Thomas Carroll, 


1879-83 


James S. Graham, 


1884. 



Fremont Towuship. 

IjfclS^ FEW families moved into the territory now 
J'lfrHi^ embraced witliin the boundaries of this 
>yjyy township prior to its organization, which was 
' "' effected Oct. 16, 1863. The first election was 
held at the house of Jerome Bachelder, who, 
witli J. C. Caldwell and William Tiffany, were In- 
spectors of Election. William Tiffany was elected 
Supervisor, William H. Harrison, Clerk, W. Winters, 
Treasurer, and Norton Skinner, Justice of the Peace. 

The township is numbered 13 north and 5 west; 
it is bounded on the north by Deerfield, the east by 
Lincoln, the south by Montcalm County, and the 
west by Rolland Township. 

Fremont was settled very slowly, but by a very 
good class of people, who still maintain the reputa- 
tion won at an early day. 

Fremont is watered by tributaries of Pine River, 
which stream touches the southwest quarter of sec- 
tion 31. Much of the land is yet quite heavily 
wooded, but the extensive mills in that township are 
fast manufacturing the noble trees into lumber, which 
has no superior in the markets. 

The first sermon preached in this township was by 
J. Q. A. Johnson, who was afterward elected Sheriff 
of Isabella County. A school-house was built soon 
after the organization of the township, and Miss 
Grace McLeod presided over the first school tauglit. 
Those were the days in which the teacher " boarded 
round," and received but small wages compared with 
the remuneration of the instructors of the present 
day. 

The fi'-st wedding in Fremont was that of Mr. 
William H. Harrison and Miss Wealthy Tiffany. 




The first child born was May Caldwell, now the 
wife of — Streator. 

James Caldwell sowed the first spring wheat, 
which when ready for harvesting was reaped by his 
son Arthur with a pair of sheep-shears ! For a long 
time harvesting was done with the sickle and cradle, 
but the stumps have mostly been removed, and the 
farmer now gathers up the ripened grain as it falls 
already bound and ready for the thresher. 

Dushville, a small village, is located on the north- 
west quarter of section 15. It has a store or two, 
blacksmith and repair shop, boarding house, etc. 
The inhabitants are a social, industrious peoi)le, and 
have pleasant homes in the quiet village. It is tpiite 
a convenient trading point for the neighboring farm- 
ers, who in that vicinity are prosperous. 

The Supervisors of Fremont have served only 
short terms, the voters preferring to give every man 
an opportunity to represent the township. Their 
names are given below. 



SUPERVISORS. 



William Tiffany 
J. C. Caldwell 
F. L. Williams 
C. G. Richardson 
Jacob Crum 
Dean Nevvcomb 
Thomas G. Williams 
Dean Newcomb 
C. G. Richardson 
Thomas Judge 
John Ulam 
A. R. Bentley 
George Davis 
John Maxwell 
James Manwell 



1864 

1865 

1866 

1867-8 

1869 

1S70 

187 I 

1872-3 

1874-5 
1876 
1877-9 
1880 



"i — 



v^ 



(^ 



k 

s 






Holland Township. 



Jji OLLANI) Township occupies the southwest 
[^^; corner of Isabella County. Its northern I 
/'li-^'i^" l^oundary is Broomfield, and its eastern ^< 
1*W Fremont Township; its southern Montcalm, (^ 
and the western Mecosta County. It is num- ^ 
bered 13 north and 6 west. This township 
has a number of rivers, of which Pine is the most im- 



^548 



v<:ll 11:^:11 llv>r 



ISABELLA COUNTY 






> 



t 



portant. It crosses Rolland diagonally from the 
northwest to the southeast corner. The eastern 
branch of this river enters section 2 from Broomfield, 
and flows southeast into the main stream. Pine has 
two branches on the west, — the South Branch and 
Remick's Creek, — both of which rise in the western 
part, the former draining the central and the latter 
the southern section of the township. 

The first settlers went into this town under the 
Homestead Act, — act of Congress of 1872. They 
were Grandison Norman, who took his location Jan. 
9, 1863; ('harles D. Robertson, Amos A. Norman, 
John Martin, Daniel W. Robinson, William B. Good- 
win, Paul Smith, S. E. Chapman, William Cowdrey, 
William M. Peterson, Daniel Doxsie, A. Sanderson, 
E. Geer and others. A number of colored people, 
who are industrious and enterprising, have located 
in this township, and are among its best settlers. 

Rolland, formerly a part of Fremont Township, 
was organized Oct. 9, r866, at the house of G. W. 
Stein; William M. Peterson, S. E. Chapman and 
Daniel Robinson were the Inspectors of the Election. 

The first grave was dug on section 6, near the 
center, and it contains the remains of Amos A. Nor- 
man (colored), who died of brain disease. 

The first legal case in Rolland was before Stephen 
E. Chapman, Jr. The complaint was made by 
Amasa Wells, against his mother-in-law, for taking 
household goods and setting his wife against him. 
The old lady and two daughters, hearing of it, bar- 
ricaded the doors to prevent their arrest, but the con- 
stable secured them in the course of a few days. 
They were convicted and fined. Not paying the fine, 
they were committed; but the constable, not having 
the means to pay the expense of taking them to jail, 
which was at Saginaw, had to let them go. 

A proof of the rapid advance in educational matters 
is the large number of school-houses scattered over 
this township. These institutions of learning have 
taken the place of the little, old, log school-houses, 
and during the school sessions are filled with bright 
and intelligent pupils. 

The first Sunday-school in this part of the county 
was organized in Rolland Township, and tlie first 
school-house built here was in 1876. 

The incorporated village of Blanchard is a thrifty 
place located on section i8, on the Detroit, Lansing 
& Northern line of railroad. Bristol is a small liam- 




let in the eastern part of the township, on Pine River. 

Rolland, like all other towns in the county, has 
furnished many millions of feet of lumber. Numer- 
ous mills are rapidly thinning out tlie forests, and 
many of the farms are highly improved where ten 
years ago the dense forest stood. Energy and capital 
can accomplish wonders, and both are largely dis- 
played in some portions of this township. 

The men who have been servants of the public in 
an official way are mentioned in this connection, 
siiace only being had for the 



SUPERVISOKS. 

William M. Peterson 
Daniel Doxsie 
Stephen E. Chapman 
Peter Chapman 
Daniel Doxsie 
H. B. Blanchard 
S. D. Eldred 
Daniel Doxsie 



-f3= 



1S67-72 
1873-6 
1877-8 
1879 



1883 



Vernon Township. 



W^'Bk 



I 



i^ 



c< 



V/ 



-\ 






K'^y^^Bxh- 



^ 



J.I : cm part of Isabella County, and is bounded 
'^' on the north by Clare County, on the east 
''jY by Wise, on the south by Isabella and on the 
west by Gilmore Townships. 

The North Branch of the Chippewa River 
enters the township at the northwest corner of sec- 
tion 30, flows southeast, then southwest, entering 
Gilmore Township. The northwestern part is watered 
by Little Tobacco Creek and its tributaries. The 
creek rises in the western part of the township, in 
section 18, flows east and northeast into Clare Coun- 
ty. In the eastern part we find the West Branch of 
Big Salt River rising in the northeastern part, in sec- 
tion II, flowing in a southeasterly direction and 
finally mingling with the waters of the North Branch 
of the Tittabawasee, in Wise Township. There are 
several less important streams, whose waters render 
the farming land of Vernon fertile and productive. 
Willow Lake hes in the western part, and its outlet is 
a branch of the Chippewa. A number of smaller 
lakes are scattered over the township, but none of 
theui worthy of special mention. 



f 






m 



'Z^siT''^ 



^ 






V 



] 



i 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



549 



Vernon City is the only village of any pretensions, 
and it is in the northern part of the township, on the 
right bank of Little Tobacco Creek. Clare is really 
a part of Vernon City, although it is in Clare County. 
When the railroad was built, it followed the level 
land along the creek and the business was soon 
transferred to locations nearer the depot. 

J. L. Markley, a German, was one of the early 
settlers, and the founder of Vernon City. He is 
wealthy and does business in real estate. The first 
house built in Clare was erected by A. A. Shaver, the 
County Treasurer. C. H. Sutherland, now President 
of the Village of Clare, was also one of her first set- 
tlers. J. C. Richardson, the Postmaster, has been an 
official of that village since its organization and is 
also numbered among the first comers. Henry Tre- 
vidick owns the largest, drug-store in the place and 
does a large business. The first hotel in Clare was 
built by a man named Alger. 

Tlie township has but one railroad, the Flint & 
Pare Marquette. 

It is said that Clare does more business for a town 
of the size than any one on the line of the Flint & 
Pere Maniuette Railroad, she having unlimited facil- 
ities for manufacturing lumber, and is also tlie center 
of a fine wheat-producing country. 

On the nth of June, 1866, the township of Ver- 
non was organized. Wm. Phinesy, Cornelius Bogan 
and James M. Stough were the Inspectors ol the 
Election. The township consisted of 16 north, range 
4 west, with a part of Clare, which has since been 
detached. 

Numerous highways cross the township in all di- 
rections, and for a new country they are well graded. 
The Flint & Pere Martjuette railroad crosses tlie 
northeastern corner. 

The educational enterprise of the inhabitants has 
provided numerous school-houses and efficient in- 
structors for the rising generation of their township. 

The vegetable productions of Vernon are choice 
tobacco and grains. Heets weighing 20 and turnips 
weighing 23 jwunds, with 1,000 bushels to the acre, 
have been raised here. The magnificent forests of 
pine, hemlock and cedar have developed the lumber 
trade and formed one of the chief industries of the 
townships. 

The names of the Supervisors, together with the 
terms each one has served, are as follows : 



SUPERVISORS. 



William Phinesey 
Elias Wlieaton 
Cornelius Bogan 
E. S. Brown 
Cornelius Bogan 

D. J. Brewer 
Cornelius Bogan 
Frederick Fisjiley 

E. E. Willie 
E. S. Brown 
E. E. Willie 
Joseph Dixon 
\Varrcn Wing 



1866-7 
1868-9 
1870-2 

1873 

1874 

'875 
1876 
1877-8 
1879-80 



1883 



V^ 




C 



c^: 



C 



Gilmore Township. 

HIS township is numbered 5 west and 16 
north, and was organized April 12, 1870. 
The first election was held at the house of 
Rufus F. Glass, who, with Jesse Wood and A. 
F. Albright, constituted the Judges of Election. 
Geo. M. Frary was largely interested in the 
business of buying and selling real estate at the time 
of organization, ^d did a great deal toward settling 
his township by persuading every stranger in <juest 
of lands at least to look at the tracts he had for sale. 
Mr. Frary located the first tract of land taken in Gil- 
more for agricultural purposes. 

A "trail " was opened through the woods from Mt. 
Pleasant to the lumber camps a few miles northwest, 
which road was known as " Willie's trail." Along 
this road, and on the farm now owned by Mr. Grimm, 
Henry Parkinson made the first permanent improve- 
ments in Gilmore. They consisted of a small log 
shanty and a clearing of a couple of acres, but it 
was a beginning nevertheless. 

Asa and Fordyce Leonard were two of the earliest 
settlers, although a number of men came later dur- 
ing the same year. 

Gilmore is a densely wooded district, and is now 
only partially developed, there being hundreds of 'P^ 
acres of virgin forests inside her limits. The north 1 
branch of the Ciiippewa flows southeasterly through 
the townships, entering it on section 5 and passing 
out on section 24. The Chippewa River proper pass- 
es through section 36 ; and Lake Creek, which rises 
in Littlefields Lake, is a splendid stream. The lake 






<^l 



> 



JL-::.. 



-^^^^ 



-^ 



^^rf 



7<-:ati:^:nD^>r 



y^"^^ 



550 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



^ 






S 



is a pretty body of water covering several acres, 
which is visited by hunters and pleasure-seekers in 
large parties during the summer. Several smaller 
lakes picturesquely dot portions of the township, 
which is delightfully inviting during the summer. 
Game is abundant, and the sportsman who hunts in 
her woods, or travels the brook in the pellucid waters 
of the lakes and brooklets which abound, meets with 
gratifying success. 

Agricultural products are somewhat limited, but 
the yield of wheat and oats average as high in Gil- 
more as in any other township in the county, acreage 
being considered. It is no small thing for fall wheat 
to yield from 30 to 35 bushels per acre, and other 
cereals equal that in proportion. The best indica- 
tions of the desirability of these lands is evident 
from the rapid rise in real estate during the past five 
years. 

The gentlemen whose names appear below have 
served as Supervisors in this township. 



(c\ 



SUPERVISORS. 




Rufus F. Glass 


1870-3 


Jacob L. Fordyce 


1874-6 


P. H. Robbms 


1877 


Jacob L. Fordyce 


1878 


P. H. Robbins t 


1879 


Jesse H. Wood 


1880 


H. A. Brubaker 


1881-3 


Benj. P. Mount 


1884 




Broomfield Township. 

||R00MFIELD Township is in the western 
part of Isabella County, and is bounded 
on the north by Sherman, on the east by 
Deerfield and on the south by Rolland Town- 
ships and on the west by Mecosta County. 
It is numbered 14 north and 6 west. The 
Chippewa River drains sections 2, 3 and 4 in the 
northern part. Indian Creek is a small stream rising 
in the southern part of Sherman Township, flowing 
southeast and emptying into the Chippewa. The 
East Branch of Pine River drains the entire southern 
portion, entering the western part at section 18, and, 
taking a southeasterly direction, flows through sec- 
tion 31; into Rolland Township. Hall's Lake spreads 
its clear waters over the corners of four sections, — 



1 
% 



19, 20, 29 and 30. Its outlet is a small tributary of 
the East Branch of Pine River. The Twin Lakes 
are two beautiful little bodies of water nestling 
closely together in the southeast corner of section 18. 
A small rivuletconnects the two, and, passing through 
the larger, flows on till it meets the East Branch of 
the Pine. 

The settlers of this township are principally en- 
gaged in lumbering, and numerous lumber and log- 
ging camps are scattered over its surface. There 
are no towns of any imixirtance. 

March 3, 1866, the township of Broomfield was 
organized, bearing the name of one of its own citi- 
zens, Wm. Broomfield. The first meeting was held 
at E. Hall's lumber camp. Elijah Cole, J. Hutchin- 
son and Geo. L. Hitchcock were the Inspectors. The 
first settler in this township was Doraville Whitney, 
who came in the fall of 1 860. 

The first school-house was built on section 31, and 
Betsy Ruxton, who is now landlady at Remus, Me- 
costa County, taught the first school. 

The first quarterly meeting was held in this same 
school-liouse, by Rev. F. B. Bangs, in 1866; but the 
first sermon preached in that section was by Rev. 
Aldrich, at the house of Wm. Broomfield, — the min- 
ister coming into the county barefooted! Hugh Al- 
ton furnished him a pair of boots to preach in, but 
kindly granted him the privilege of removing them 
from his feet before leaving the county. 

The first marriage was that of Ithel Eldred and 
Mary Parrot. 

Broomfield is, as yet, unprovided with railroad fa- 
cilities. There are two State roads. The Houghton 
Lake & Ionia Road crosses the western half, north 
and south, and the Big Rapids & Mt. Pleasant Road 
extends east and west across the northern portion of 
the townships. 

The Supervisors of Broomfield have been men ot 
integrity and good standing, as will be seen by the 
number of terms each one has served. 



1:^1 



SUPERVISORS. 




William Broomfield 


1868-76 


L. C. GriflSth 


1877-8 


William Broomfield 


1879 


L. C. Griffith 


1880 


John Hutchinson 


1881 


William Broomfield 


1882-4 


s-L-C: >^„.'?.\r^ 


. -«®.S;;^ 



v§) 



A 



'!-<>* 



0t 






fo". 






ip 



I 



m^^ 



-^^^ — ^v<^llll>:iili^>v 



-^^f^^ksr 



ISABELLA COUNTY 






>^ 



:) 



Union Township. 



ii|FW|g.NION Township was organized by the Board 
iJ^saf of Supervisors Marcli ig, 1861. The In- 
'Jgf^r^ spectors of Election were Hiram E. Sher- 
/.|>3 man, A. J. Goodsell and Albert G. Ferris, 
j^' The first township election was held at a log 
{ school-house in District No. i, where William 
Crowley now lives, on the first Monday of April, 
1 86 1. Langdon Benlly was elected Supervisor. 

Union is bounded on the north by Isabella, on the 
east by Chippewa, on the south by Lincoln and on 
the west by Deerfield Townships. It is numbered 
14 north and 4 west. The principal river is the 
Chippewa, a beautiful stream which traverses the 
township from the southwest to its northeast bound- 
ary. Mission Creek is a small stream rising in the 
northwestern part, flowing east and emptying into 
the Chippewa. 

Mt. Pleasant is the principal village of the town- 
ship. It is pleasantly situated on the Chippewa 
= River on section 15, and is the terminus of the 
Sg/ Saginaw & Mt. Pleasant Railroad. There are a 
number of saw-mills in the immediate vicinity of the 
town, giving employment to a large number of 
laborers. It is the center of trade for farm products, 
not only of this townshij), but of all the adjoining 
ones. The mercantile houses do a thriving business, 
and in a short time Mt. Pleasant will be one of the 
most important towns of Northern Michigan. Isa- 
bella City is next in importance and is located in the 
southeastern corner of section 3. 

The first active representative of any religious 
society in this township was Elder Sheldon, of the 
Methodist denomination. The first sermon was 
delivered by him in the same school-house in which 
the first election was held. There are now a num- 
ber of fine churches, and almost every denomination 
tis represented. 
The first man who settled in Union Township was 
'■'''» John M. Hursh, who, with his wife and six children, 
_:) selected a homestead a half mile from Mt. Pleasant 
^ and located there in 1854. At one time provisions 
j^ became so scarce that Mr. Hursh was compelled to 
hire two Indians to accompany him to Saginaw, 



where they procured 100 pounds of flour, and returned 
to their settlement, carrying it the entire distance on 
their backs ! Many days they had nothing on which 
to subsist but bread and water! St. John's was the 
nearest postofiice, it being 50 miles distant. 

While Mr. Hursh was on his way to Union with 
his faiT.ily, his brother-in-law was engaged in putting 
up a shanty for their protection when they came. 
The floor was earth, no windows, and a blanket 
served for a door. The roof was made of troughs. 
After paying the men who had aided them in their 
difficult journey to their new home, Mr. Hursh had 
just three cents left; but with strong hands and will- 
ing hearts they did not despair. It was two years 
before any one located within ten miles of the Hursh 
farm; then, Henry Sherman and family, and soon 
afterward Leonard Handy, joined the little band of 
pioneers. The sight of the newcomers and the pros- 
pect of having some neighbors made glad the liearts 
of the Hursh family. No formal or fashionable calls 
were made : on the contrary, they visited each other 
on alternate Sundays, always taking their stock along 
to prevent them from straying through the woods, 
which were so dense that it was almost impossible to 
find them if allowed to wander away from home. 

The first school-liouse in the township was built of 
logs, in 1855, one and a half miles south of Mt. 
Pleasant. The school was taught by Elizabeth 
Gulick. 

Succeeding years brought many settlers into the 
township, and it now ranks among the first in the 
county in agricultural interests. The productive 
character of its soil was a great induce. nent to own- 
ers of lands to clear away the dense forests. Lumber 
interests were for several years the chief industry, 
and many millions of feet have been taken from the 
acres which now rival in beauty and fertility any part 
of the State of Michigan. 

Union Township has been represented by a large 
number of men as Supervisors, all but three of whom 
have served two or more terms. Their names follow, 
to which are affixed the years they served. 







C< 



\ 



SUPERVISORS. 

Langdon Bentley 
A. G. Ferris 
I. E. Arnold 
Alex. Brodie 
Milton Bradley 
D. H. Nelson 


1 86 1-3 

1864 

1865 

1866 

1867 

1868 


! 






6Vc4Iin:ilDv>7^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



:^v(M 






(0 



I 



(^ 



Milton Bradley 
D. H. Nelson 
Daniel E. Lyon 
Alex. Brodie 
I. E. Arnold 
Charles M. Brooks 
John Maxwell 
W. W. Preston 
Charles M. Brooks 



1869 
1870 
187 I 
1 87 2-4 

1875-7 

1778 

1879 

1880-2 

1883-4 



Nottawa Township. 



■/^^fc 



^ SABELLA County has a large acreage of 
valuable land, but in no part of it are there 
so many acres of splendid agricultural land 
in one body as are embraced in Nottawa Town- 
ship. This is still included in the Indian res- 
ervation, and most of the inhabitants are Indi- 
ans. Some of them are in good circumstances and 
are amassing a competency. The remnants of the 
Chippewa tribe who are not actively engaged in farm- 
ing, are a lazy, shiftless set, who eke out a scanty 
livelihood by hunting and trapping. Those of the 
tribe who live in the most primitive style and cling to 
their old superstitions are numbered among the resi- 
dents of Nottawa. 

The township was named in honor of an Indian 
chief who bore the name. He was one of the most 
noble and honored men of his tribe, whose teachings 
were listened to with rapt attention by his people. 
He advocated honesty, industry and the Christian 
virtues, and by his own acts exemplified his precepts. 
His death occurred Oct. ro, 188 1, and his loss was 
sincerely mourned not only by his own people but 
also by the whites as well. He had attained the 
advanced age of 100 years, and until a short time 
before his deatli was quite an active man. 

One of the Indian marriage customs still practiced 
among some of the race who live in Nottawa Town- 
ship, is as follows : The parents of the youth of 
either sex contract the marriage during the months 
of October and November. The affianced comes to 
the house of her future father in-law, and takes up 
her quarters there for six months previous to the date 
fixed U|X)n for the marriage to take place. During 
this period, no conversation is indulged in between 
the young folks, although living in the same house 



and sharing the same bed. The latter is arranged 
by the father-in law, by placing a log lengthwise 
of the bed, thus separating the parties (!), who after 
the six months' probation are declared man and wife 
by the chief of the tribe. Everything must be 
arranged through the mother-in-law, who acts as 
mediator between the young people. All the game 
killed by the young man during this term of court- 
ship, is dried by his mother and put away for future 
use. The hides and pelts taken in the chase during 
the same period, as well as all the maple sugar 
manufactured, are sold, and whisky and other re- 
freshments purchased therewith to be used at the 
marriage feast, which is made an occasion of great 
hilarity by the invited guests. 

The township was organized in 1S74, and the first 
election was held at Eli Ford's house in April, 1875. 
The Inspectors were John Hyslop, Michael McGee- 
han and Eli Ford. 

The first white man locating in the town was 
Michael McGeehan, who was the first Supervisor. 
The second was Senator Alonzo T. Frisbee, who 
purchased half of section 16, and improved 200 
acres of it in the best of style. Mason B. Dibble is 
also one of the first, and now the wealthiest men in 
the township, being possessor of 800 acres of the 
finest land, of which 400 acres are cleared and mostly 
under cultivation. 

At the first election, only 33 votes were polled, 5 
white and 28 Indian. Tlie voting population is yet 
very light, but the township will soon become peopled 
with whites, the Government having already given 
virtual permission to the Indians to dispose of their 
lands should they see proper. Patents will issue 
from the proper authorities at an early date, and the 
lands which are now unoccupied will soon blossom 
like the rose. A beautiful lake, through which Cold- h 
water River flows, covers the whole of section 30. It 
abounds in fish and water-fowl. The Coldwater, 
flowing through the western, and the Chippewa River 
the eastern, parts of the township, aftbrd unlimited 
facilities for the transportation of the myriads of logs 
to the mills below. 

Nottawa is numbered 13 north and 5 west, with 
boundaries on the north by Gilmore, the east by Isa- 
bella, the south i;y Deerfield and the west by Sher- 
man. 

The following named gentlemen have represented 
Nottawa as 



/S 



C< 



C- 



^ 



5«§if^- 



<^ii!i.^:nii;t> 



^v^=^ 



_>Tu^|^\f^l, 






ktJL-iJ 






Ta^^^K: cr-rC:IlD^:ilII>>r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



supervisors: 



^ 



>:> 

1=3 

V 

s 

J 



^ 

\ 

-^ 



Michael McGeehan 
Alonzo T. Frisbee 
Michael McGeehan 
Fred Speck 
Phidelous Bennett 
Joseph T. Gachter 



1875-6 

1877-8 

1879 

1880 

i88i-2 

1883-4 



Sherman . Township. 







HERMAN is very sparsely settled, and iiuite 
heavily wooded. There is one small vil- 
lage bearing the name of Sherman City, 
located partly on section 6 in Sherman, and 
section 31 in Coldwater Township. Here is 
I located a postoffice and a few buildings, but 
the town has no commercial importance except as a 
convenient trading point for the farmer. Broomfield 
postoffice is located on section 27, at the junction of 
the Houghton Lake & Ionia State Road and the 
highway passing through the center of sections 26, 27, 
28, 29 and 30. It is well watered by several creeks, 
which flow into the Chippewa, and but little atten- 
tion is paid either to stock-raising or agriculture, the 
lumber interest taking precedence of any other in- 
dustry. 

The township is numbered 13 north and 6 west, 
and is bounded on the north by Coldwater, on the 
east by Nottawa, on the south by Broomfield Town- 
ship and the west by Mecosta County. It was or- 
ganized Oct. 12, 1868, and the first election was held 
at the house of Cyrus Dunbar, who, with Milo T. 
Dean and Aaron Osborn, were Inspectors of Election. 
The first Supervisor was Wesley Ellis, who served 
in 1869. This township was named in honor of 
Gen. W. T. Sherman. The number of school-houses 
and children attending school in the township is 
given elsewhere, which shows the small number of 
inhabitants. Some very good farms and enterpris- 
ing men are to be found in Sherman, but it will be 
many years before the forests can be removed and 
the land brought under a thorough cultivation. 
The names of the Supervisors are here given : 

SUPERVISORS. 




itjfti.-:; 




Henry Woodin 
J. H. Tinker 
Henry Woodin 



Deerfield Township. 

51? HE organization of this township was ef- 
|i fected Oct. 14, 1874. It is yet (juile heavily 
^ timbered with excellent pine, hemlock and 
'y^y cedar, with here and there some bodies of 
splendid hard woods. The soil is a rich loam, 
mixed with sand and gravel in some localities, 
but highly productive. 

The first settlers in this township were Melvin 
Beach, Waller Blount, F. E. Boyden, George D. 
Brown, William M. Peterson, Thomas Phillips, Jesse 
H. Robinson and Jacob Smith. All these men came 
with their families in 1874-5. From this date t!ie 
population increased rapidly. 

Although many acres of valuable lands are yet in 
a state of nature, the woodsman's ax is fast laying low 
the monarchs of the forest, and the plow is destined 
to become the magician whose touch transforms the 
bosom of her heretofore undisturbed soil into a para- 
dise whose fertility is a source of wonder to those who 
were accustomed to class Deerfield among the most 
desolate regions of Michigan. 

The first election was held at the house of Joseph 
Brazee, April 5, 1875. Nine votes were polled, being 
sufficient to elect the several township officers. To- 
day there are over 200 registered voters, while nu- 
merous school-houses and substantial dwellings are 
seen on every hand. 

The first religious services were held at the house 
of William M. Peterson, by Rev. Burlinganie, an 
itinerant Methodist preacher. 

Samuel Craft, the present Supervisor, came to this 
township in 1877, and his enterprise and business 
tact has made him a valuable accession not only to 
the community in which he resides but also to the 
county as well. His first coming to Deerfield was 
accidental, but his practiced eye saw the advantages 
to be derived from a location in a financial way; and 
as soon as possible after looking the county over, 
he purchased a quarter-section of land inside her 
boundaries. 

Deerfield is well drained by both branches of the 



V^' 



9 



0) 



t 






V^illD;<^CD>>r 



-#t^<^^^' 






:-<e 



> 



(J» 



554 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 




Chippewa and the Coldwater Rivers. These streams 
abound in fish, and the waters are as dear as crystal. 
Owing to the numerous springs in the bed of the 
Coldwater, the waters are cool and refreshing, even 
during the warmest weather. In the springtime, great 
numbers of logs are floated down to the large mill 
near the junction of the Coldwater with the Chip- 
pewn. 

Deerfield has one small hamlet, located on section 
7, with a store, hotel, etc. The place bears the de- 
scriptive title of " Two Rivers," being near the Chip- 
pewa and Coldwater Rivers. A postoffice will soon 
be established here, in compliance with a petition 
containing over 200 signatures of voters residing 
within three miles of the place. 

J. C. Caldwell, the proprietor of the Two Rivers 
Hotel, is a vigorous man of 60 summers. He was 
recently married to a handsome lady from Ohio, 
which occasion furnished a great deal of amusement 
to his neighbors. He had been a widower but a short 
time, when the " tender passion " became as firmly 
planted in his anatomy as it would had he been a 
youth of 20. Mrs. Sarah Griswold, of Bissell, Ohio, 
was visiting in the neighborhood, and her charming 
manner and handsome face completely captivated 
him. Shaking off the mental depression which had 
clung to him for four long weeks, he began paying 
court to the handsome widow, and his suit met witli 
favor. 

Her visit nearing its end, she had fixed upon the 
day to return to her native village, but Mr. Cald- 
well's persistent pleading had a fitting reward, inas- 
much as he had her promise that she would return 
and become his bride. After her departure, letters 
from the twain were mailed regularly each day, but 
this mode of corresponding seemed too slow for the 
restless nature of our venerable friend. He longed 
to possess in reality what was his own by right of con- 
quest, and the day had scarcely arrived in which his 
bride to be would return from her eastern trip, when 
he started from Deerfield, expecting to meet her in 
Mt. Pleasant. She was expected on the evening 
instead of the morning train, but, equally as impatient 
as himself, had started one day earlier than was 
originally intended, and the long miles which were 
traversed were rendered bearable in the anticipation 
of taking her lover by surprise. Reaching Mt. Pleas- 
ant early in the forenoon, she procured a livery team 



y>*>:^v- 



and started for "Two Rivers," fondly anticipating the 
joyful welcome she would receive. 

The day was very cold, and the few persons ven- 
turing out wete closely muffled to protect them from 
the frosty air. Mr. Caldwell was coming to meet his 
intended, and, to do the thing up in style, had engaged 
a driver, while he lay back in the sleigh covered by 
robes of fur, with a big stone, carefully heated to keep 
his feet warm, tucked beneath the blankets. The 
driver failing to recognize the bride to be, passed her 
sleigh in blissful ignorance of its fair occupant. Mr. 
Caldwell arrived in due season at Mt. Pleasant, and 
was soon made presentable through the skill of the 
tonsorial artist and a well paid tailor. 

Time hung heavily on his hands while awaiting 
the arrival of the evening train. He nervously paced 
the platform at the depot until the passengers had 
alighted. The object of his affections not appearing 
among them, he became uneasy and telegraphed to 
Ohio for particulars. An answer was returned stat- 



(^ 



ing that she had started the day before and certainly ^\ 
expected to arrive that evening. .'i'. 

Nothing was to be done but wait patiently for the == 
morrow. The morning train carried him to Coleman, v^. 
where he confidently expected to meet her, but again ca 
he was sorely disappointed. Realizing that " there »^ 
is many a slip," etc., he returned to Mt. Pleasant. In < 
the meantime he had sent his team home, and was ( 
obliged to call on the livery man for favors. Here 
he was informed that his lady had arrived the day 
before on the morning train and was now safely 
quartered at the hotel at Two Rivers. 

Notwithstanding the lateness of the hour, a team 
was procured and the excited man started post haste 
for home. On the way he stopped at the house of 
Justice A. J. Stanscll, and the worthy functionary 
dressed and accompanied him. When the pair 
arrived at the hotel, everybody had retired for the 
night ; but the case being one which would not ad- 
mit of delay, the household were aroused and prep- 
arations made to celebrate the nuptials of the pair 
who had been l)y accident so rudely separated for f^ 
so many hours ! The meeting of the lovers was af- [ 
fecting; and, after explanations were made and their f. 

fc> > » r . •*'* 

exuberant feelings somewhat calmed, Justice Stan- ^ 

sell pronounced them mated for life. No happier <^ 

couple reside in the township, and their romantic ' - 

courtship and marriage gives the story a place in the 'Sj 

history of Isabella County. ^ 



'M'i^^^ 



4^^^^f(^>:(^i' 




<^[ 



t^>T 



"^•-■^isr 



^ 



>:> 



y 



^ 

^ 






ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Deerfield Township is numbered 13 north and 5 
west. The northern boundary is Nottawa Township, 
the eastern, Union Township, Fremont Township on 
the south and Broom field on the west. 

Only three Supervisors thus fur have represented 
this township, and one, Mr. J. H. Robinson, was 
appointed to fill the unexpired term of a man who, 
making some mistake in the assessment of the town, 
became frightened and left the country. 



SUPERVISORS 



\Vm. Peterson 
J. H. Robinson 
Samuel Craft 
William H. Hanna 



•875-7 
.878 
1879-S3 
1884 



— S- 



-^-^ 



Coldwater Township. 

^I&IIjOLDW.ITER Township is situated in the 

f^^^ northwestern corner of Isabella County, 
. p^ and is bounded on the north by Clare County, 
^L on the east by Gilmore and south by Sherman 

'j^ Townships, and on the west by Mecosta 
County. It is numbered 16 north, and 6 west. 

The soil of Coldwater is drained by two creeks, 
known as Walker and Colley Creeks. These two 
beautiful streams of crystal water flow through 
grassy meadows and shady woodlands, while from 
either side of their mossy banks stretch afar the 
broad acres of fertile and productive farm lands, 
where great quantities of corn, rye, oats and wheat 
are cultivated successfully. Garden vegetables of 
all kinds are also grown in this rich soil. 

On section 31 is located part of the little village 
of Sherman, called Sherman City, a small trading 
point and postoffice for those living in the vicinity of 
the hamlet. 

On the same day that Broomfield was organized, 
the Board of Supervisors conferred local self-govern- 
ment on the people of Coldwater, and ever since its 
organization it has been a temperance township. 
The first election was held on the first Monday of 
April, 1868, at the house of H. B. Roberts. H. A. 
Brubaker, H. B. Roberts and W. W. Ryerson were 
the Inspectors of Election. 

Serel A. Letson, who bought land in this township 
in the year 1866 and located on his claim in the fol- 
lowing year, was the first permanent settler here, and 




now resides on section 22. Harry Brubaker, now 
living on section 20, in Gilmore, was the first man 
who moved his family to Coldwater. They came in 
1867. Samuel Colley, now on section 34; Wm. B. 
Forbes, on 22; Thomas Summerton, also on 22; 
George Steed, Jonathan Lamer on 32 ; Charles Hunt, 
near Mt. Pleasant; Martin Tombs and son, on 16; 
Jackson Alexander, on 26, and S. Smith, also living 
on section 26, were the first men who settled in the 
township. 

The first birth that occurred in Coldwater was that 
of a child of Harry Brubaker, and the death of this 
infant was the first occurrence of this nature, the 
second being that of Posey Roberts. 

The first marriage was that of Frank Bone and 
Sophronia Baker, in the fall of 1869. 

The first school taught was in District No. i, on 
section 26, in the year 1870. 

Calaphael Taylor, one of the oldest residents of 
Coldwater, was a pensioner of the war of 1812 until 
his death, which occurred on May 2, 1884, at the 
advanced age of 90 years. He died respected and 
beloved by every adult resident of the township. 
Overliis grave many tears of sympathy were shed. 

The Supervisors who have represented this town- 
ship from the beginning were all men of merit. Their 
names are given below in tlie order which they 
served : 

SUPERVISORS. 



J. J. Colley 
Harry A. I3rubaker 
James McKersey 
J. J. Colley 
Clark Broun 
William B. Forbes 
James (1 Colter 
David W. Brooks 
William B. Forbes 
David Colter 

■ — ->^ 



1868-9 
1870-1 
1872 

1873 

1874-7 

1878 

1879-80 

1881 

1882-3 



Lincoln Township. 

HE organization of Lincoln Township was 
effected Oct. 16, 1863. F. I. Williams, W- 
J. Corbus and H. N. Griswold were In- 
spectors of the first Election, which was held 
at Mr. Griswold's house. 

The same may be said of Lincoln as of each 

township in Isabella County, that it was densely 

^I»ttM-^ 




VS 



Ca 



A 






T 
I 



x:^ 



_^|i35^^(5^ 




^^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY 



^ 



yOi 



i 



:a5 



V 



wooded, and a large part of it at an eariy day was 
very low and marshy. The clearing up of these 
forests and cultivation of the soil have changed the 
appearance greatly, topographically, and some of the 
low lands which were formerly covered with water 
during the entire year, have by reason of numerous 
drains become the most productive of farm lands. 

Lincoln is numbered 13 north and 4 west, with 
boundaries on the north by Union, on the east by 
Coe, the south by Gratiot County, and the west by 
Fremont Township. It is drained by Salt River and 
its tributaries, and at present enjoys the luxury of 
two post-offices, one being called Crawford and the 
other Strickland. 

The first settler in Lincoln was U. McKinstry, 
who located on section 36, in the fall of 1862. Mc- 
Kinstry was soon followed by Edward Dugan, G. P. 
Ryder, E. Dunham, Samuel Woodworth, Nelson 
Ives and Warren Wardwell, all of whom were enter- 
prising men. 

The first birth in Lincoln Township was a daugh- 
ter of Mr. McKinstry, the event occurring in the 
autumn of 1862. 

Mr. Wardwell relates a couple of anecdotes which 
well illustrate the character of mankind. Most of 
the lands had been taken in the eastern part of Lin- 
coln, but one day an Irishman came along on foot, 
in search of a tract. Wardwell told him that two 
miles west of his farm there was a nice piece of va- 
cant land, and directed the fellow where and how to 
find it. He returned in the evening feeling much 
fatigued and evidently disgusted with the long tramp 
through the briers and bogs, there being no road. 
When questioned by Mr. Wardwell as to his opinion 
of Michigan lands, the man replied that the lands 
were good enough, but added in a despondent tone, 
"Ef I tek thet pace of land, whin will the road git to 
me?" "Whenever you make it, you d — d fool," said 
Wardwell. The Irishman did not desire such a task 
as that implied, and left the land for some more en- 
terprising man. 

When William Tiffany moved iiis family to Lincoln 
Township, the woods were full of game and he fre- 
quently shot a rabbit or pheasant while driving along 
the road. On this day, however, he saw game which 
he was not expecting, and, as hunters express it, he 
had an attack of" buck ague." While walking ahead 
of the wagon with a rifle on his shoulder, he espied 




a large bear leisurely walking toward him. Tiffany 
ran back to the wagon, shouting to the driver to turn 
around, as a bear was coming down the road. "Why 
don't you shoot ? " yelled the man on the wagon. 
This seemed to Tiffany the proper thing to do under 
the circumstances, and with his eye on the bear and 
the gun elevated at an angle of 45°, pulled the 
tiigger, and the bear, hearing the report, ambled 
away. To Tiffany, this was a real adventure and one 
to be proud of, although he had no trophy to show. 

We are pleased to give the names of those who 
have ably represented Lincoln Township as Super- 
visors since its organization. 

SUPERVISORS. 



Irving Williams 
J. T. Guthrie 
R. Wilcox 
J, E. Hunt 
John Maxwell 
"R. Wilcox 
James Ayling 
A. C. Vredenburg 
Ainos D. Mattison 
James Ayling 
A. C. Vrendenburg 
A. M. Hance 
Henry Burr 
John Mull 
A. C. Rowlader 



1864 

1865 

1866 

1867-8 

1869-70 

187 I 

1872 

1873 
1874 

1875 
1876 
1877-8 
1879 



Wise Township. 

HE township of Wise was organized Jan. 4, 
1872, and was named after George W. 
Wise, its father and founder. It is situated 
in the northeast corner of Isabella County, and 
is numbered 16 north and 3 west. Its north, 
ern boundary is Clare County, its eastern Mid- 
land County, its southern Denver Townsliip, and its 
western Vernon Township. 

The first election was held at the school-house in 
Loomis, — G. W. Wise, B. L. Loyd and Cornelius V. 
Hulburt, Inspectors. 

The western half of the township is drained by 
Salt River and its numerous tributaries. The saw- 
mills are its principal support. Messrs Wise and 
Loomis built the first mills. In March, 187 i, George 




Vi^' 



A 



c^: 



6 



.!D5«^|- 



-^<: 



W. Wise, with 13 men, landed where Loomis now is 






V 

r 



Sir 



<rs 



V 






4 



I SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



-^4f^f^Vi|p 



557 "a 



and commenced the erection of a saw-mill, and on 
the tenth they had a portable mill running; about 
the 2oth they began making shingles also. It was 
kept running most of the time day and night, cutting 
lumber in the day time and shingles nights. The 
mill was destroyed by fire in May, 1875, '^'^'t ^^^* 
soon replaced by another. Wise and Loomis, with 
others, also opened a store, thus laying the founda- 
tion for the future town of Loomis. Its location is 
in the northern part of the township, and was platted 
in 187 1. A hotel, the "Hursh House," was built 
about the same time the Flint & Pere Marquette 
Railroad Company built their depot. A shingle mill 
was also erected and run till 1874, when it blew up, 
killing one man. In 1872 a company was formed 
and built a hemlock-extract factory, at a cost of 
about $15,000, and it has manufactured large amounts 
of extract. A shingle mill was also connected with it. 

The first religious services were held in Wise & 
Loomis' saw-mill by C. V. Hulburt. Loomis is quite 
an important town, being situated in the center of a 
fine lumbering district. It has 350 inhabitants, two 
hotels, five stores, one drug store, a church, black- 
smith and wagon shop, and last, but not least, two 
saloons. 

Fletcher Tubbs opened the first farm in Wise 
Township. In May, 187 1, a school district was 
formed and a school-house was soon after built, and 
Miss Allen taught the first term. A Mr. Caidy was 
the first man to open a whisky saloon. 

There are numerous school- houses, with a fair 
attendance. 

The first legal case was for an assault and battery. 

Mr. G. H. Hersey, who lives near Loomis, has the 
finest barn in the township, and the material on the 
ground for an elegant residence, which will be com- 
pleted this year. 

Wise Township is yet c|uite heavily wooded, and 
the improvements not so numerous as several of the 
older townships. 

The lumber interest is still the chief industry of 
Wise Township, but a few years more will find the 
supply very much limited. 

The list of Supervisors of this town is given below. 



SUPERVISORS. 



Isaiah Windover 
George M. Quick 
Henry L. Voorhees 



1872 
1873 
1874-5 



George M. Quick 

Joseph Funk 
E. W. Allen 



1876-80 

1881-2 

1883-4 



•KS^-<«I|Di>-$e-^=^— »- 



Denver Township. 



f 



\^f^-^-=^ 



\'\'ER is included in the Indian reserva- 
tion, and at this time is very sparsely set- 
■ViJj^ ^ tied. A number of Indians are yet living 
vjfii inside her boundaries, and hundreds of acres 
X of the most valuable timber lands are owned by 
* speculators. All the east half of Denver Town- 
ship was covered with a heavy growth of pine, but 
this has been mostly cut away. The land is low and 
flat, and much of it can now be purchased for |§r per 
acre. Only 16 sections of Denver can soon be set- 
tled, the balance belonging to Indians who cannot 
dispose of their lands, and speculators owning large 
tracts have no desire to sell. 

The first settlements were made in 1875-6, by 
Lewis Hawkins, the present Supervisor, John Collins, 
and Julius C. Jordan. 

The township was organized Jan. 6, 1876, being 
the last town to be organized in the county, no ma- 
terial being left for any more. 

The first election was held at the house of Robert 
Pearson, who, with James Render and Anson Fitchet, 
were Judges of the same. Robert Pearson was chosen 
first Supervisor, and met with the Board in the cen- 
tennial year. 

Both branches of the Tittabawassee and Salt 
Rivers unite in the eastern part of Denver, and the 
entire township is traversed by the south branch. 
The Mt. Pleasant &: Saginaw Railroad passes through 
Denver from northeast to southwest, with one flag 
station only within the limits. 

It is bounded on the north by Wise Townshij}, on 
the east by Midland County, the south by Chippew.i, 
and the west by Isabella Township. It is numbered 
15 north and 3 west. 

The population in 1880 was only 250, but is per- 
haps double that number to-day. 



SUPERVISORS. 



Robert Pearson 
Lewis Hawkins 
William Mogg 
Lewis Hawkins 



1876-7 

1878-80 

1881-3 



% 



■■ — ' 



4 



k5) 



K 



m 



m 



558 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



V 



-#^^C(®^4il 






-&i£)d£&aE^ 



.-^tL^'^. t.' 






^ 








NLY a few years ago ihese 
broad acres were the favorite 
liastLiriiig ground of hundreds 
of deer, and the wild woods 
the home of the bear, wild- 
■■ u. v-vi cat, lynx, the gaunt wolf and 
the wily Indian. But few persons can 
realize the fact, yet it is true. Many 
are the stories related of hairbreadth 
escapes by men of undoubted veracity, 
while recounting their adventures with 
wild beasts at an early day in Isabella 
County. Some of these are well worth 
preserving, and they form an interest- 
ing part of this work. 
Among the best known of the white men who have 
achieved a reputation as hunters, we are pleased 
to mention John Landon -and Wm. Miles, both 
residents of Chippewa Township and whose reputa- 
tion is excelled by none. Within a few miles of the 
beautiful village of Mt. Pleasant are yet to be found 
plenty of fur-bearing animals, and bears are quite 
numerous in some localities. 

Miles Chased by a Bear. 

I' p (t 1''1^W years ago William Miles was engaged 
-^=4f:riu ''^ clearing out a jam of logs in Potter Creek, 
Slt^ vvhcn lie discovered a large bear near by. 
Having no gun, and his house a full half-mile 
away, he hardly knew how to proceed, a's bears 
were his legitimate game, and he had no inten- 
tion of allowing it to get away. 

He ran home to get his gun and ammunition, and 



while there concluded to take a fine Cuban blood- 
hound which he had recently purchased, thinking 
this would be a fine opportunity to teach it how to 
track large game. Upon arrival at the place where 
the bear was first seen, the blood-houhd took I he trail 
and soon brought Bruin to a stand. The bear reared 
upon his hind legs, when Miles fired, wounding but 
not entirely disabling the animal, which, with a howl 
of pain and rage pursued the intrepid hunter. Miles 
made tracks as fast as his legs could carry him, with 
the bear less than ten feet behind! After running a 
short distance his powder horn became detached 
from its fastening, leaving him with only an empty 
gun for protection while the bear gained steadily 
upon him, and would in a few bounds more have 
overtaken the fleeing hunter had it not in its blind 
rage dashed against a log over which Miles had 
leaped, thus giving him a few feet more of a start. A 
tree growing near by proved finally the means of his 
escape, for the bear was less than two feet behind 
when it was reached. Darting around it. Miles was 
enabled to keep out of the monster's clutches, although 
it required considerable dexterity to avoid being 
caught by the immense paws of Bruin, who, with his 
neck against the tree, pursued Miles as furiously as 
before, going first in one direction, then changing his 
I)Osition and turning the other way. Another tree 
stood near, hardly so large as the one first giving 
shelter to the hunter, and he concluded to try that, 
but soon returned to the first, the smaller one being 
hardly sufficient protection from the long claws of the 
bear. All this time the blood was trickling from its 
side and the path around the tree presented the ap- 
pearance of an abbatoir. The chase was continued 



V© 



A 

1=1 



Sly 



88^v^))«§^- 



^^^^ 



-^<^fi!ir^nD;i>^ 



*se??5 



f> 



% 



A^- 



W^/^^^^^ 



<^|]tl>:Dti^.> 






^ 






>; 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-T^&S- 



from nine until eleven o'clock in the morning without 
interruption before the bear showed signs of exhaus- 
tion. Miles said he might have killed him with his 
gun, but he disliked to break a good Winchester rifle 
to pieces over the head of a black bear, for he con- 
sidered his wind more than a match for any animal 
that roamed the woods of Michigan. 

At last the bear lay down, and Miles, after taking 
a few breaths, left the tree, keeping it between him 
and the bear until a few rods had been gained, when 
he darted away at full speed for home, intending to 
get ammunition and assistance before trying again to 
dispatch his bearship. Reaching home, and without 
relating his perilous adventure, he inquired of his wife 
where " Riley " (the dog) was. She replied that " he 
was under the bed." Miles shied an old boot, which 
lay conveniently near, at the crouching hound, having 
no better way in which to vent his ill pleasure, and 
started again for the scene of recent adventure; but 
the bear had vanished; neither could any further 
trace of it be obtained. A number of persons visited 
the place next day and were astonished to think how 
narrowly Miles escaped with his life. The brilliant 
future which was supposed to lie before '" Riley " was 
by his cowardice on this occasion brought to an 
abrupt termination. His owner, although having 
paid $20 for him a few weeks before, was glad to 
present the canine to a friend, deeming a dog worth 
nothing that would desert his master at a time when 
assistance was most needed. 

Bear Afraid of Fire. 
I| NE of VVm. Miles' first experiences in hunt- 



^ t^M h nig was rather thrilling, and will bear le- 
S^[®''^ peating. He was hunting in the dense 



f 



woods when darkness came on. He built a 
fire, ate his supper, and made a bed of leaves 
and moss near the pile of blazing embers. 
The slee[) of the tired man was not disturbed until 
after midnight, when, hearing a peculiar noise, he 
knew a deer was rushing past pursued by some ani- 
mal. The deer plunged into the river which ran in 
proximity, followed soon by a wolf, which also took to 
the water in quest of its prey. Being now thoroughly 
awakened, and feeling somewhat chilled, he arose 



and began kindling the fire, which had become a 
mass of smouldering coals. While engaged in fan- 
ning them into a flame, a crashing in the brush near 
by startled him, and, jumping to his feet, he discerned 
a monstrous black bear tearing through the bushes ! 
When daylight appeared, an examination of the vi- 
cinity revealed the fact that the bear had walked 
round and round the sleeping man, but feared to 
attack him, he being in such close proximity to the 
fire. When the bear started away he was within 20 
feet of Miles, who all this time was unconscious of 
the danger that menaced him. Mr. Miles says this 
was the first and only time that the slightest fear has 
been experienced by him, although many hair-breadth 
escapes are chronicled in relating his numerous ad- 
ventures. 




A Rum Story. 



Wi&^: 



JM'KOHN FRASER tells a story, of rum and 
AJ^im^ mosquitoes, which is pretty good, while 
|p3"'' the manner of getting rid of the mosquitoes 
^^ was quite novel. He, together with Judge 
]L Estee, George Atkin, Chauncey Kyes and 
\ James Shepherd, borrowed a canoe of John M. 
Hursh, with the intention of going to Saginaw for 
provisions. The trip was easily made going down, 
but it was very hard work getting back, the current 
being so swift. It was in the autumn, and the prev- 
alence of ague during this season of the year 
induced them to purchase a gallon of whisky before 
starting. "Jim" Shepherd thought of working a 
scheme to get a jug of rum home without having it 
sampled by his comrades, and claimed to have pur- 
chased it for " bitters " for his father. The rest of 
the boys said nothing, but determined to have a fair 
sample of the rum if strategy could obtain it. After 
loading the canoe with provisions they started up the 
stream, taking turns in pulling the canoe against the 
rapid current, while the fierce rays of the sun beamed 
down upon them, which, with the great exertion 
necessary to propel the canoe, bathed tliem in i>er- 
spiration from head to fool. 

By the morning of the second day, tlie jug which 
contained the whisky was empty, and they begged 
" Jim " to give them a drink of his rum, even offering 
to pay an exorbitant price for the same ; but he per- 



m/ 



(^ 






c^: 






/^; 



■V5)5^$i€^ 



^ 



<^II!1^I 



^>^- 



-^^i^^f^ 



-^ti 



ft 




2;€^ 



•rrr 



'T<^Mm\i^>7 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



f 






V 



sistently refused. The mosquitoes were getting so 
troublesome that it seemed impossible to withstand 
tlieir attacks, and a scheme was devised which at 
last allowed them some rest. One of the party 
stripped to the buff, and smeared himself from head 
to foot with grease from a bacon rind, which was 
found to be an effectual protection so long as the 
surface was well coated with the unctuous but not 
very pleasantly aromatic embrocation. The others 
followed suit, and the voyagers were thus enabled to 
keep their craft moving all the tiine. 

Arriving at last at the house of Mr. Hursh, they 
concluded to stay all night; and two of the party 
were detailed to watch Shepherd make a disposition 
of his jug, he fearing the loss of its contents. Not 
long after the canoe was unloaded, he slipped out to 
the woods and secreted the jug in" an old hollow 
stump. Fraser and others made a note of its loca- 
tion, and when it became dark, made their way to 
the spot and all took a hearty draught. The next 
morning the same was repeated, and the empty jug 
left standing, covered with leaves, which were so 
skillfully arranged that no signs of its being disturbed 
were visible. When " Jim " went after his treasure 
and found only an empty jug, he became frantic and 
wanted to whip the whole crowd ; but, not knowing 
which one to begin on, finally concluded to let the 
matter drop. His penuriousness taught hin; a valu- 
able lesson, and he was always willing to divide any 
thing after that. 



A Heart-Breaking Loss. 

'fAVING neither stock nor grain to sell, the 
—^ early comers were sorely puzzled to obtain 
provisions for tlieir families. Everything 
was turned to account. .Siiingles were virtually 
legal tender for all debts e.\cept taxes, but the 
settlers had no means of getting them to market. 
Considerable quantities of maple sugar were manu- 
factured in the spring-time, which was afterward 
taken to Saginaw by boat and exchanged for groceries 
and dry goods. 

John Fraser, Mason Foutch, (ieorge Atkin and 
George Howorth started for Saginaw one morning in 
May with the proceeds of their spring work, consist- 






ing of 800 pounds of choice maple sugar. The 
canoe was a small one, and, being heavily loaded, 
sank deeply into the water. They had not proceeded 
far before the boat ran over a snag and capsized, 
throwing the contents in the water. Not one cake of 
sugar was recovered, and the loss was a severe one. 
An entire failure in crops to-day would not be half 
so hard to withstand as was the loss of that canoe 
load of sugar at that time. Atkin wept like a child 
at the prospect of want now in store for the family, 
they being almost destitute of clothes and having 
no means of procuring any. 

All the men except Fraser returned home, he 
being the only one of the party having any money. 
He drifted down to Saginaw, made his purchases and 
helped his less fortunate neighbors out of sorr>' their 
plight. 

■ J— wv^^^^S-^'^^ — ^ — 

An Indian Suicide. 

*"'f^^f HERE are some very interesting anecdotes 
|_CgJ, related of ihe Indians, and the history of 
X^ip'^ '^ Isabella would not be complete without 
•a^ mention being made of some occurrences 
Y which happened not very long since. Most of 
I the actors in the few incidents related are liv- 
ing on the reservation near Mt. Pleasant, and the 
stories, gathered from first hands, are correct. 

It is believed among the Indians that none of 
their people ever commit suicide; but one old fellow 
actually did so far forget their customs that in a 
moment of desperation he plunged a knife into his 
bosom and started on his journey to the happy hunt- 
ing grounds alone. Judge Bennett is responsible for 
this, as well as several other Indian stories, and his 
well known popularity among the Indians gave him 
almost the supremacy attained by a chief. 

Me-saw-bay was quite a talented, but somewhat 
demented, old Indian, whose mind was always rumin- 
ating upon the wrongs done the noble red man by 
their white brothers. He had made several trips to 
Washington to see the " Great Father " and unfold 
his grievances, but no official notice was taken of 
them. He often took long walks through the forests, 
and while out for one of these lonely rambles, plunged 
his hunting-knife into his bosom. When the body 
was found, an inquest was held in the old court-house, 



\^ 






V/- 



r 






^^^e 



^^^^^ ^i^;[I!|^p[j;^A^ ^i^^ 






r^ ===== 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



":2s^"^ 



561 



^ 






:-« 



V 



I 



and a verdict rendered that he died by his own hand, 
there being no trace found of other footprints besides 
those of Me-saw-bay. Judge Bennett wanted to turn 
the corpse over to the Indians for burial, but they re- 
fused to receive it, declaring that some white man 
had killed him, and they would not bury the old man. 
The body was thus left on the hands of Judge Ben- 
nett, who vainly tried to get some one to help him 
with the interment. It was midwinter, and the 
ground was solidly frozen ; but the Judge, armed 
with a pick and shovel, started for the woods and dug 
a hole, to which place he carted the body of the dead 
Indian and gave him a decent burial. 



The Most Blood-Curdling Hair-Breadth Escape 
of All. 

'UN Landon, Wm. Miles and his brother 
Daniel, while out on a hunting expedition, 
spied a bear a short distance away. Miles 
and Landon fired simultaneously, wounding 
the animal, which started to run. Landon 
endeavored to head him off, when the bear 
made for him with the intention of eating him. Hav- 
ing become entangled in the brush, Landon was un- 
able to free himself, and in his struggles fell down 
just as the bear reached him! In the meantime 
Miles came up from behind and, taking deliberate 
aim, shot the infuriated bear, which fell dead by the 
side of Mr. Landon, whose position was indeed a 
ctitical one. His chance for being shot was almost 
as good hs that of being killed by the bear. When 
questioned in regard to the danger of shooting his 
staunch friend, Miles replied: " I would rather shoot 
you myself than see a bear tear you to pieces." 





Love at First Sight. 



ing on record in this county, is that of Wm. 

)|ir£). Riley and his present wife. Mrs. Riley No. 

tjjj J I was an Indian squaw (Sophia Gruett) who, 

})^ unable to withstand the changes in diet and 

climate, succumbed to the inevitable. 

William, not having a relish for the onerous duties 

^-:f^;!^ 9-^- 




devolving upon both farm and household, concluded 
to engage a housekeeper. Hearing of a woman at 
the county farm who desired a situation, William 
drove over and had no trouble in making satisfactory 
arrangements. She accompanied him home, and, 
during the few miles which intervened between the 
county farm and Mt. Pleasant, William proposed to, 
and was accepted by, his present wife. It was a case 
of love at first sight, he having never seen her until 
that morning; yet, with William, to love was an easy 
matter, and the needs of his household w^e press- 
ing ones. Meeting Rev. R. P. Sheldon on the high- 
way near Mt. Pleasant, William wished him to marry 
them without taking the trouble to get out of the 
wagon. Not being so romantically inclined, the 
Reverend insisted that the party go into the house of 
a Mr. Brown who Jived near, to which they assented. 
Mrs. Brown kindly threw open her parlors, and the 
wedding was consummated on brief notice. 

They are doing nicely, and are as well mated, per- 
haps, as though they had known each other for years. 



Isabella a Good County. 
t'HE coming of some of the most prosperous 



>'i k© 1 inhabitants of the county was purely acci- 

igrJlJT^ dental. One of these was D. H. Nelson, 

•^P^ who came in 1857 to witness the Indian pay- 

fe& ment, but had no intention of locating in this 

I section. While he was here his father came to 

see him and bought some land. The first work he 

ever did in the county was to help clear off and grub 

an acre of ground, on which the court-house is now 

located. Mr. Nelson says he has never regretted his 

decision to remain here, and there is no place like 

Mt. Pleasant and Isabella County to him. 

As stated in a previous paragraph, Moses Brown 
brought in a small stock of goods in the fall of 1865, 
and opened up in the bar-room of the Bamber House. 
The only significance to be attached to that state- 
ment is, that both he and Judge Cornelius Bennett 
arrived the same day. Brown on a peddler's cart, and 
Bennett, then a young lad, on foot. Brown accident- 
ally broke his cart before reaching Mt. Pleasant, and 
had to send it back to St. John's for repairs. It took 
so long to repair it that he made up his mind to stay, 



\^ 



X=3 

i 






t 



^tltli> 



A. 



^^/^^))^^^ :2^^ cT-rC: 



562 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



rz^^^ 



-^"^T^^^^ 



^S 



yf as trade was fair, and to this day he is quite an active 
.y business man, dealing in all sorts of commodities, 
•.'ii from a coon-skin to a section of land. 

A They tell the story on Judge Bennett, that his first 
purchase was a blind ox; and, having all his money 
thus invested and the ox not beii.g fat enough to 
butcher, he too was forced to stay until the succulent 
grasses in the spring could fatten his recent pur- 
chase. While waiting for this to occur, he found 
employment, and by the time spring had arrived he 
was doiiTg quite nicely in a financial way, and had 
no desire to go elsewhere. From that humble com- 
mencement, we find him to-day ranking among the 
wealthiest and most popular men of the county, and 
his en'erprise has done much toward peopling a 
large portion of it, he having been engaged quite 
largely in buying and selling real estate. 



The Indians' Love of Whisky. 
<'%W%^ E.VRLY all the Indians were members of 



the Methodist and Lutheran Churches, but 
3j= !•?, all of them loved whisky, and never lost 
r an opportunity to gratify their tastes in this 
respect. 

Isabella City, while in its palmy days, was a 
great loafing place for the Indians, where, though no 
whisky could be obtained, the more elderly ones 
would fre([uently get tipsy. The secret was un- 
earthed one day, by finding an Indian (Pay-she-no- 
nee) lying at the rear end of Mr. Babbitt's store, in 
the lumber room of which was a barrel of hard cider. 
The door being open afforded all necessary explana- 
tion, and this supply was soon shut off. Upon this 
particular evening, several of the Indian elders, dea- 
cons and class-leaders were pretty well " corned " 
before Mr. Babbitt knew anything about it, and they 
had hard work to get them started home, some of 
them becoming quite quarrelsome and threatening to 
(9* burn the store. This was averted, however, by Mrs. 
[ Babbitt, wlio at all times seemed to exert great in- 
■ 't fluence over them, and they wandered off through the 
woods, whooping and yelling. 

The Indian Pay-she-no-nee was quite a preacher, 
and was one of the most enthusiastic workers in the 
Methodist -Church. Restarted home preaching with 



all his might, but having a hard time trying to follow 
the trail. He was followed by George Bradley, an- 
other Methodist minister, who was sober, but wanted 
to hear what Pay-she-no-nee had to say. After 
preaching to the Lord for a while and extolling his 
mercy and goodness, he began complimenting the 
devil upon his excellent attributes, and was lavish 
in expressions of fealty to Satan and his cause. This 
was more than Bradley could stand, as it seemed that 
his favorite exhorter was impolitic, to say the least. 
Hurrying up to where Pay-she-no-nee was standing, 
by a large pine stump, and delivering a wonderful 
address in hardly intelligible language, Bradley ac- 
costed him and asked why he was so complimentary 
to the devil, who, with his hosts, the Christians were 
so earnestly trying to conquer. Bracing up as well 
as he was able. Pay-she-no-nee replied: "May-be 
me die some time. If me good, then I sure to go to 
heaven. May-be get drunk, then the devil sure to 
get me. Me already know God: now want to know 
devil." Bradley fearing some sober Indian might be 
in hearing, upon whom such an argument would 
work disastrously to the Methodist cause, helped 
Pay-she-no-nee home as quickly as possible. 

The love of the Indians for liquor is truly surpris- 
ing, and we have been informed by good authority, 
that out of nearly 2,000 who came to this county in 
1856, only the chief, Sa-shaw-na-bees, would not 
drink it. 

Pioneer " Pleasures." 

R. A. Dunham, one of the old settlers 
here, reached Isabella County, in com- 
pany with his son, in 1861. The first 
. man he met after his arrival in the new 
^^" county was " Uncle Robbins," from whom he 
made incpiiries concerning lands, and was told 
to go to 'Squire Estee, who would tell him all he 
wanted to know. Mr. Dunham found the 'Squire, 
and, after partaking of a fine dinner, started out and 
selected a tract of land, and determined to build a 
shanty for his family. Unable to obtain an ax any- 
where in the county, he started his boy off for Alma 
to get the indispensai)Ie article. When the boy re- 
turned he brought with him an old second-hand ax, 
with which he built his cabin, that sheltered eight 




I 

I 



A 



c-o; 



V 



<^ 



:^iiii;> 



-^^^yyj 



;;^:N/^®))«>^r#r 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■:2S^S^— 



children, the old woman and himself, and was set- 
tled in his new home in just three weeks from the day 
.^ he selected his land. From this time he lived com- 
% fortably, and had plenty of maple sugar, leeks and 
^ hominy. While many hardships have been under- 
^'^ gone, Mr. Dunham has prospered, and yel refers to 
the days of his " pioneering " as being the most 
pleasant of his life ! 



-wacc;©-^-"— fe| 



<^^%c!mt!»^ 



> 



2 
^ 

s 

h 



Nearly all the Men in the Army. 

^fejURING tiie late war, nearly every man 
WJ^ \. able for military duty went into the army. 
3jr^£^ A man was taken sick at a lumber camp 
5^ near Mt. Pleasant ; and, to be cared for, was 
^ carried over to Mrs. Ellen Woodworth's, who 
j lived near. His illness proved fatal, and the 

help of men could not be obtained who were able to 
carry the body to the cemetery. The four daughters 
of Mr. and Mrs. Preston — Mrs. Allie Fancher, Mrs. 
Ellen Woodworth, and the Misses Celia and Emma 
Preston — procured a bier, and with their own hands 
carried the body to the cemetery ana buried it ! 
ThSre was a shoemaker living near where Maj. Long's 
printing-office now stands, whose name was Bently, 
but neither would he go, nor allow one of his hands 
the privilege of paying this tribute of respect to a 
dead stranger! 



An Odd Method of Capturing a Deer. 

I R. A. E. Chatterton once had quite an ex- 
^k. citing adventure with a deer at a point in 
the river nearly opposite the village of Mt. 
Pleasant. Seeing a large buck complacently 
V making its way across the stream upon the 
floating logs which covered its bosom, Mr. C. 
determined to effect its capture. Meeting midway 
of the stream, he seized it by the head, when a series 
of " bucking " on the part of the deer were executed 
which outrivaled Mark Twain's " Mexican plug." It 
wais a rough-and-ready fight, but Mr. Chatterton 
finally came off victorious, although considerably 




scratched and bruised. To undertake the cutting of 
a deer's throat, although entangled in a mass of float- 
ing logs, is no easy matter, anil but few men would 
attempt it. 





Pioneer Sociability. 

r N those pioneer days neighbors were so few 
and far between that it was customary to 
omit the fashionable call, and, hitching up 
the team of o.xen, go to a neighbor's to spend 
the entire day and eat dinner with them. Tea 
and coffee, as well as other provisions, being 
therefore very scarce and very high-priced, — one 
pound of tea alone costing $2.50, — many odd substi- 
tutes were used. Mrs. Woodworth tells of a day 
spent with a friend who, in the absence of tea or cof- 
fee, steeped the inside bark of the pine for a beverage. 
Dried strawberry leaves were often used instead of 
tea. Scorched peas, beans, barley and corn made 
coffee. Sweet cakes were made with yeast and 
sweetened with maple sugar; and if fruit-cake was 
desired they had but to stir the dried fruit in this 
same preparation. 



Twfo More Bear Stories. 

N T875, Mrs. Nancy Brown was going from 
Mt. Pleasant to her home a half mile east 
'i^T of the village, when she espied something 
)(j moving along the road on all fours. It being 
/'j dark and objects not distinctly discernible, she 
thought it was Hilly Gruett (an Indian), who 
intended playing a joke upon her. Telling him to 
get out of the way and stop his nonsense, she was 
about to give the object a push with her foot, when 
the bear (not Billy Gruett), reared upon its hind feet, 
and with a sonorous growl invited Mrs. Brown to 
come a little nearer. She was too badly frightened 
to run, and as the bear did not advance she stood 
her ground. A wagon, happily for her, came along, 
and the bear ran away. 

She states that often when picking berries in the 
woods bears have walked very near her; and once, 
when picking the fruit, standing on a tree which 



*^s 



? 

^ 






A 



C< 



A 



(^ 



% 



\o^ — ^'^^^ 



4^j«fl 



■■^'r>--. 



§ffes»- 



<3|iti^:DBv.>T 



r-^f^ 






:->5 



> 



564 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



had blown almost down, she looked beneath, and 
there, within three feet of her, was an enormous bear 
sitting on his haunches eating blackberries, and eye- 
ing her complacently ! The bear was content to go 
away, leaving her unmolested, although badly fright- 
ened. 



Indian Morals Concerning Murder. 




'here is an Indian living in Isabella Town- 
ship who is quite prominent, not only with 
those of his own race but also among the 
whites as well, to whom a story is attached 
that is true in every sense. He, with his 
young wife and aged mother, had gone on a 
hunting expedition to one of the northern counties a 
few years ago, when the following incident occurred : 
It was late in the autumn and trapping was ex- 
cellent. A large number of furs had been collected, 
and the party were congratulating tliemselves upon 
the result in a pecuniary way, when the mother fell 
sick. A brisk snow-storm came on, which delayed 
their departure for home, and the invalid mother 
continued to grow worse. She declared her inability 
to travel, and a council was held between the wife 
and her husband, who both agreed that they must 
leave for home at once, for fear a snow-storm should 
come which would render traveling impossible. 

The loving son went into the wigwam to report the 
decision to his aged parent; but, finding her asleep, 
dealt her a tap on the head with his hatchet, when, 
/%. to use his own expression, " she just straightened out 
^'>' and quit breathing!" With their hatchets a hole was 
dug in the ground, some bark piled over the old 
lady's remains, and the husband and wife packed up 
their traps and pelts, and made their way back to the 
reservation in Isabella, satisfied that under the cir- 
cumstances they had done the proper thing by dispos- 
ing of the old woman, as she was so old that only a 
few more months of life, under the most favorable 
circumstances, could be hoped for ! 

The U. S. Government had built a blacksmith shop, 
as well as a milland the council-house,at Isabella City. 
Me-she-gay-ka-kee, the foreman of the shop, was a 
handsome Indian, and was considered a great "catch" 
among the dusky maidens. He was finally captured 



(^ 



i 



Wt^^ 




by one of them and lived quite happily for a year or 
two, when his wife was taken suddenly and alarmingly 
ill. Condolences being in order, several of his former 
sweet-hearts came in to assist in caring for the sick 
woman ; and the tender passion again tjuickened in 
the breast of Me-she-gay-ka-kee, and he proposed 
and was accepted by another one of the charming 
daughters of the forest. The wedding day was set, 
they thinking the sick wife could not possibly survive 
more than two or three days at the farthest. In this 
they were disappointed, she being, apparently, in an 
improved condition on the day the wedding was to 
take place. Me-she-gay-ka-kee hardly knew what 
to do. He did not think it just the thing to have 
two wives in the house at once, and feeling convinced 
that the sick woman must die "some time, at least, if 
not just then, held a conference with wife number 
two, and it was decided to dispose of her in the easi- 
est way possible. She was carried out and deposited 
on the ground in a fence-corner, a kettle filled with 
cooked corn jjlaced by her side, after which she was 
covered with pieces of bark and left to her fate. She 
lived, surrounded by these proofs of affection, for two 
days before death came to her relief! All this time 
the newly married pair were enjoying themselves in 
high glee, happy in the unexpected good fortune 
which allowed true love to run smoothly! 

These stories are related solely because they be- 
long to the history of this beautiful county, and ac- 
tually occurred, at an early day. They are typical 
of Indian life, and nothing was thought of such acts, 
they being considered strictly legitimate. 



An Old Newspaper. 

9 ITp'lf^'" RS. Ellen Woodworth has a copy of No. 

■ tjLM/ 21, Vol. I, of the Northern Pioneer, the 
'■ ^ ,1 "^ first paper published in the county. This 
7 k^''^'^ was issued June 7, 1865, and from its pages 

'I* are noted several important items regarding men 
in business at that time. The Pioneer was a 
four-column folio, 12 inches by 14 in size, but was a 
remarkably spicy journal. 

We notice by the above paper that most of tiie 
county offices were filled by Hon. I. A. Fancher, his 
business card appearing as Prosecuting Attorney, 



^ 



A 



I 
r 



m. 






rz^^ 6V<i 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



'^^mm\M^ 



565 



9 



> 



>^ 



V 

(1) 



^ 



I 



Circuit Court Commissioner and County Surveyor. 
William H. Nelson was Judge of Probate; John Q. 
A. Johnson, Sheriff; Langdon Benlly, Treasurer; 
Milton Bradley, Clerk; Wallace W. Preston, Register 
of Deeds ; and Cornelius Bennett, attorney and 
counsellor at law. The post-office address of all 
these gentlemen was "Blunt P. O.," except W. H. 
Nelson, who was a resident of Isabella City. 

The peculiarity of Judge Bennett's card, in which 
his name appears as 

C. BENNETT, LL. B., 

gave rise to much speculation among the ladies as to 
the significance of the abbreviated title. The Judge 
was at that time a young man, and was looked ui.on 
with much favor b) the mammas who had marriage- 
able daughters. The young lawyer was possessed of 
very little cash; but a pleasant face and affable man- 



ners more than made amends for lack of funds, and 
he became the center of attraction for a host of [iretty 
girls who swarmed about liim as do moths about a 
lighted candle. 

One, to whom more attention was paid_ than the 
rest, fondly imagined herself certain of becoming the 
future Mrs. Bennett. She was interviewed by a com- 
mittee selected for the purpose of ascertaining what 
LL. B. was attached to Mr. Bennett's name for, they 
having good reason to suppose her possessed of the 
knowledge. After much adroit questioning, she con- 
fidentially admitted that she, too, had been ecpially 
inquisitive, and had importuned the Judge until the 
information had been gained that the letters meant 
" Lots of Little Bennetts!" Thus was the secret ex- 
ploded, and the Judge's dream of happiness made 
public, for "women" have no secrets! 



f??3> 






m 







■^F^^ 






k\^J^M! 




T a point on the east bank of 
the Chippewa River, where 
there is a clear and rapid 
stream near a hundred feet 
broad, with banks of good 
<S/ height, and furnishing water- 
power for a generous extent of 
works and machinery, is the beau- 
tiful and enterprising village of Mt. 
Pleasant situated. It is the coun- 
ty seat of Isabella County, a village 
of over 2,000 inhabitants, handsome- 
ly laid out with broad and straight 
streets, well built; and the mercan- 
tile establishments present an air of 
business unexcelled by any village 
of Northern Michigan. It has. in 



common with nearly every county seat in Michigan, 

^^" ^^*^^ ^^:D[1^(1I1^> 



a history which, though brief, is important in a notice 
of this nature. 

The county seat of Isabella County was first es- 
tablished, by commissioners appointed by the State 
Legislature, at the geographical center of the county. 
This was engineered by Dr. Jeffries, John G. Isbell 
and George W. Lee, who located in partnership a 
section from the corners of four townships, giving the 
new county seat the name of Isabella Center. The 
Doctor built a small log court-house and endeavored 
to work up a boom for the town, but failed. The 
county offices were all kept in two rooms, but the 
accommodations being scarcely sufficient, efforts were 
made to change the location of the county seat, 
which was effected May 10, i860. The present site 
when selected was a wilderness, with no approaches 
save "tote roads," and no future perceivable. 

Isabella City, on the river a mile below, svas built 



<i^ 



f 

r 



(^ 



s 

^ 



4 






I 

J 
m 



-m^^j-!^ 







<m'£M'y> 



ISABELLA COUNTV. 



^eir'^Sr 



^ 






\^ 



o 



^) 



C5^ 



m 



in 1857, and was at that time ihe only place in the 
county where business was done, that being the 
locality occupied by the grist-mill for aboriginal use, 
a store and some sliops and dwellings. The first 
plat of the village of Mt. Pleasant was made by 
David Ward. He was assisted in this survey by I. 
E. Arnold, one of the most prominent citizens of the 
village. 

Five acres was donated by Mr. Ward for county 
purposes, and a court-house was built by W. H. 
Nelson, which cost the county $140. It was accepted 
July 12, i860, and the first term of court was held in 
it in that year. There were no natural advantages 
at the geographical center, and the founders of the 
town owned only 1,700 acres of land, which was sur- 
rounded on all sides by the Indian reservation, that 
had been ceded to be held in perpetuity for them and 
their heirs forever. This was also used as a lever 
when the question of voting on the relocation of the 
county seat was given the people. Foremost in this 
matter were Nelson Mosher, John M. Hursh, A. M. 
Merrill, David Ward and Charles Rodd (the latter 
an Indian), who were all possessed of much influence 
among the Indians, to whose vote the location of the 
county seat at Mt. Pleasant was mainly due. Ward, 
although the owner of only 120 acres, was quite 
liberal with his lots; and, besides the donation of five 
acres for county purposes, he gave five of the Indian 
chiefs 17 acres on the west bank of the river opposite 
the old depot, which of course made them his friends ; 
and a number of lots were distributed among the 
men before mentioned, as well as to several Indians 
who were laboring in his interest. The whole vote 
in the county did not exceed 400, and the majority 
could not have been very great. It was a wise thing 
to do, however, and a more elegible location for a 
county seat cannot be found. 

The village of Mt. Pleasant was again platted in 
1863, the proprietors then being George and Harvey 
Morton. 

The first family locating on the village plat was 
that of Dr. Edwin P. Burt, who built the house, or a 
part of it, where Mrs. Preston now resides. 

Isabella Hursh was the first female child born in- 
side the village limits, but this event occurred long 
before Mt. Pleasant was thought of. The date of 
her birth is mentioned elsewhere. 

Dexter F. Arnold, the present Village Clerk, was 

^^^^ r -f'^;^ ^^< ^D n 






the first male child born in Mt. Pleasant. This event 
occurred April 15, 1862. 

Of course, improvements were very slow, as but few 
people were living in the county and ver)- little land 
was under cultivation. 

H. A. Diinton put in a stock of general- merchan- 
dise in 1864, which was the first venture in a mer- 
cantile way. John Kinney, a gentleinan well known 
in the county afterward, purchased this stock of goods 
and that of Mr. J. C. Graves, who started a store in 
the summer of that year. 

The Bamber House was the first hotel in the place, 
and was kept by W. W. Preston. 

Moses Brown was the next man to embark in the 
mercantile line, whose stock was composed of a 
miscellaneous assortment of dry goods, which he 
brought in on a peddler's cart and displayed in the 
bar-room of the above mentioned hotel. 

John Kinney built a log house that was used for 
school purposes, and the first school in the village 
was tauglit by Mrs. Ellen L. Woodworth, in 1865. 
This house was also used for church and other pur- 
poses, and the first Sabbath-school organized in the 
village was in this building, in 1865, tlie orginators of 
that movement being Mrs. I. A. Fancher, Mrs. Ellen 
Woodworth and Mrs. Langdon Bently. 

John Kinney, Esq., came to the county in 1855, 
and was appointed first Postmaster of this village. 
He, although not a resident of the place at this time, 
is largely interested in the growth and prosperity of 
Mt. Pleasant, having a large amount of real estate 
inside the corporate limits. 

The first mill erected in the village was built by 
Hapner Bros., in 1866. The first grist-mill was built 
by Harris Bros., in 1872. 
■ In 1863, the future of Mt. Pleasant was very inaus- 
picious. There were only three or four houses in Ihe 
place, and they were small. Jo. Miser had a story- 
and-a-half house, wliich stood in the street west of 
where the Fancher Block stands. This house was 
sheeted inside to the gables, and covered with a 
shingle roof I. E. Arnold had built a house near 
where the Flint & Pere Marquette depot stands. 
Nelson Mosher had built the house now occupied by 
his son's widow, whicli was the third house erected 
in the village. 

I. A. Fancher drafted the plat of this village in 
June of 1863. He took an active part in developing 



v^ 






c< 



v/ 



^4 



'r 









T 






^r^^m 



-zsC^ 



■ST 



•rr 



'7<Mm\i^- 



":2t^5^'^ 



•i^^jf 






;-<5 



V 

s. 



ISABELLA COUNTY 




and otherwise assisting the growth of the place, and 
is yet, although permanently located at Detroit, aid- 
ing in every way every measure looking toward tlie 
advancement of her business interests. 

The first hardware store in the village was stocked 
by Doughty Bros., who still carry on the business, 
and liave one of the largest and neatest stores in the 
place. The first brick block erected in the village 
was the building which they now occupy and own. 
It was erected in 1876. 

I. A. Fancher and Carr & Granger erected their 
fine brick blocks in 1877, thereby adding largely to 
the value of the business portion of the village. 

Tunis W. Swart erected his block in 1879, and 
Albert B. Upton built the Opera-House Block the 
following summer. This is the finest block in the 
village, and the opera house is conceded to be the 
finest one this side of Detroit. In this block is located 
the bank of Hicks, Bennett & Co, real-estate and 
other offices. 

There are several fine brick residences in the town, 
and a number more will shortly be erected. 

The first election after the incorporation of Mt. 
Pleasant was held May 11, 1875, resulting in the 
election of the following gentlemen: President, John 
Maxwell; Trustees — Cornelius Bennett, Wm. Rich- 
mond, John A. Harris, Wilkinson Doughty, Dan. H. 
Gilnian and George W. Brower; Clerk, Geo. N. 
Mosher; Assessor, I. E. Arnold; Street Commis- 
sioner, John Fox; Marshal, Cicero Kimball. 

The present officials are: President, Robert 
Laughlin; Trustees — J. N. Vansice, Michael Mar- 
tha, Peter Gardiner, Dennis Ryan, F. W. Ralph and 
Michael Garver; Treasurer, J. A. Hairis; Clerk, 
Dexter F. Arnold ; Street Commissioner, Wm. J. 
Topping; Assessor, E. F. McQueen. 

The first vote polled was 123, which was increased 
to 347 in 1884. 

Tiie business affairs of Mt. Pleasant have been 
well managed, and her miles of splendid sidewalks 
and nicely graded streets speak volumes. 

A pleasant council room is now owned by the vil- 
lage, in which the fire department have their appa- 
ratus and the Opera-House Band make headquarters. 
The Opera-House Band numbers 14 members, and 
disdains to be called " amateurs." Their permanent 
organization was effected in 1881, although a band 
has been in existence here for years. 



\& 



|Aj))f^^^ 



■^^Dur^^nniivi 



Mt. Pleasant is not burdened with debt, but is 
bonded for $10,000 to complete the payment of the 
Holly system of water works, which was established 
in 1882, at a cost of $16,000. The village is by this 
means not only secure from great danger by fite, but 
an excellent supply of pure water can at all times be 
obtained. Mains will be laid during tiiis year through 
all the principal streets, and those living remote from 
the business centers will be thus afforded the same 
protection in case of fire. The Fire Department 
have a splendidly ecjuipped hook and ladder truck, 
with buckets, etc., and a hose company who have 
and can operate to good advantage, 1,000 feet of 
three-inch hose. H. H. Graves is Chief of the de- 
partment. 

Mt. Pleasant has had several disastrous fires, but 
the one in 1875 was the most serious which has ever 
occurred in the village. Twelve stores, with nearly 
all of their contents, were destroyed, entailing a loss 
of almost $50,000 upon their owners, wliich at the 
ime was keenly felt. Very little insurance was car- 
ried upon the same, but with a small capital most of 
them again started in business, and to-day not . a 
trace remains of the disaster. Handsome brick stores 
have taken the place of the wooden buildings, and 
there are no villages of the size that excel Mt. Pleas- 
ant in the number of stores and amount of stock 
carried by her merchants. 

The first school-house was built where the houses 
of Messrs. Ward & King now stand. It was used 
for a long time by the Methodists for church purposes 
prioi to the erection of their church. 

Mrs. Mary Preston relates how they built the first 
Methodist church, and how good the people felt to 
have their own place in which to worship. Rev. 
George Bradley was at the time doing missionary 
work among the Indians, having been sent by the 
bishop to this field of labor. Services were held at 
private houses, in tiie woods and at school-houses, 
but the people felt the need of having a central place 
for worship. Mr. Bradley told Mrs. Preston that if 
she would procure a site for the church, he and his (q\ 
boys would draw the logs and help build a house. 
Mrs. Preston went to (ieorge Morton, who, with his 
brother Harvey, were proprietors of the town, and 
stated the proposition made by Rev. liradley. Mor- 
ton told her to select a lot, and she chose the two now 
owned by the county, upon which the jail and sher- 
iff's residence will be erected. 



; 






:< 






m 




^m^ 



"2?^^ 



r<^llll^llllf>^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



Mr. Bradley went to work, and was aided by a 
number of people friendly to the cause, some of whom 

^^ furnished lumber, etc., and the house, now the coun- 
I cil room owned by the village, was built. Everybody 

(^ was happy when it was completed and regular ser- 

^^ vices could be held in it, and many of the old pio- 
neers in Methodism speak of the joyful meetings 
held there ; and tears of regret fall when speaking 
of the sorrow caused by the sale of the old building, 
it seeming like the sundering of the most sacred ties 
to give up the old building hallowed by prayers of 
I fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, although the 
elegant church now completed awaited their coming. 
When Mr. and Mrs. Preston came to Mt. Pleasant 
in 1864, they were well provided with provisions, 
clothing, etc., having thought that very little could be 
procured in the new country. Two of their children 
had been residents in the neighborhood for two 
N years previous, and they had undergone much priva- 
tion but no real suffering. Mrs. Mary Preston says 
that they had coffee, sugar and other things enough 
to last them 12 years, and absolutely found it hard to 
dispose of. They purchased the house built by Dr. 
Burt, and had commodious quarters from the date of 

==? their coming. Her daughter Celia wedded Emory 
Y H. Bradley, the minister's son, in October, 1864, 
which was the first wedding in the village. Mrs. 
Preston was the first lady who viewed the village of 
Mt. Pleasant from the top of the new court-house. 
Hundreds have since gazed with delight at the beau- 
tiful panorama spread before them from that elevated 
position, and the most perfect view can be obtained, 
from this point, of the village and surrounding 
country. 

From 1865, Mt. Pleasant has continued to grow in 
importance and numbers, until it ranks high among 
the villages in Northern Michigan in a commercial 
way. A brief ;cf?/wf is given of her business indus- 
tries, churches, etc., which determines well the enter- 
prise of her citizens who anticipate a brilliant future 
for the place, and none surely have more natural 
advantages. The geographical center of the south- 

fl em peninsula of Michigan is on section 24 of Coe 
»®« Township, thus making this county the pivotal 
<M point, and Mt. Pleasant the hub, which is destined 
to become one of the best business points north of 
the Saginaws. 
^ The residences in this village are neat and taste- 



> 



>J 



b 



t 



» 



ful. Those of A. B. Upton, George Granger, J. C. 
Leaton, Mrs. Henry Dunton, Henry A. Bouton and 
W. W. Preston, on Church Street, and Dr. P. E. 
Richmond, T. VV. Swart, Charles Jeffries, William N. 
Brown and Mr. Ryan, on Broadway, will compare 
favorably with any village in the North. Shade-trees 
are being planted along the principal streets, and a 
few years will ensure beautiful avenues shaded by 
the leafy elm and handsome maple, beneath the 
boughs of which the pedestrian may take a promen- 
ade with the greatest satisfaction. 

Mt. Pleasant is noted for the number and excel- 
lence of her hotels, the largest and best of which is 
the Bennett House. This is an elegant three-story 
brick structure, handsomely finished, and furnished 
in the modern style. It was completed in 1883, by 
Judge Cornelius Bennett, at a cost of $20,000. It 
was formally opened in June, 1883, by ihe present 
proprietors, F. A. Stebbins and Marvin Richardson, 
both of whom are popular gentlemen, and general 
favorites with the traveling public. Mr. Richardson 
has been for 20 years engaged in the business, and 
has a reputation second to none as a manager. The 
accommodations are first-class in every respect, and 
the patronage all that could be desired. 

The Peninsular House is a pleasant, spacious 
hotel, occupying an elegible location on North Main 
Street. Under the management of Mr. J. N. Van- 
sice, it is a fine paying investment and has a liberal 
share of business. 

The Exchange Hotel is owned by Mr. Linus D. 
Estee, one of the most cordial of landlords. This 
is a cheerful, home-like place, where the weary guest 
will find a cordial welcome, with plenty of good cheer 
that comes from a well filled larder. 

The Bamber House was the first hotel erected in 
the village, and many noted guests have been 
quartered within its walls. It is managed by Patrick 
Donovan, one of the warmest-hearted IrishniLMi in 
the State, whose friends are legion. 

Michael S. Garvin is proprietor of the Union 
House, the North Main Street hostelry, and the only 
thing lacking is room for more guests. 

No stranger visits this village without carrying 
away pleasant recollections of his accommodations 
at the excellent hotels during his stay. 

The Ladies' Library .Association is quite a flour- 
ishing affair, and the records give proof of its success- 






A 



C< 






^ 



i 



)\^^^^ 



_>!V^*rM!f^ 



-^^Dn^iinr^^ — ^^s>^ 



4^^f(®X^ 



n 



i 



o 



^) 



(^ 



fal management from the date of its organization. 
Six hundred volumes of the choicest literature are in 
circulation among the residents of the village. The 
management is entirely under the control of the 
ladies, who have aided the enterprise with their time 
and money until the permanent success of the asso- 
ciation is assured. The officers of the society are : 
President, Mrs. Charles Westlake; Vice President, 
Mrs. Will. Hunt; Treasurer, Mrs. W. Doughty; 
Secretary, Mrs. Major Long; Corresponding Secre- 
tary, Mrs. A. E. Chatterton ; Librarian, Mrs. H. B. 
Pearson; Assistant Librarian, Mrs. Thomas Pickard. 
The society occupies pleasant rooms in the Nelson 
Block, which are open on Wednesday and Saturday 
of each week. A small sum expended annually gives 
the youth of Mt. Pleasant ample facilities for becom- 
ing conversant with the best and most talented au- 
thors of both history and fiction. This enterprise 
deserves substantial encouragement from the citizens, 
who are certainly largely benefitted by the use of so 
much literature at the small outlay a membership 
entails. 

Business Interests. 




HE manufacturing interests of Mt. Pleasant 

are confined chiefly to lumber, shingles, 

etc. The mill of Upton & Leaton is the 

most extensive, having a capacity of 30,000 

feet per day, and employing a force of 30 men. 

Allowing 290 working days in a year, the cut 

of this mill averages 8,700,000 feet annually. 

Messrs. J. P. Walker and A. E. Chatterton do an 
extensive business in the manufacture of lumber, 
having both a saw and shingle mill, the capacity of 
which is r5,ooo feet of lumber and 30,000 shingles 
per day. They had on hand March ist, 1,300,000 
feet of logs, which, at the low estimate of $6 per 
thousand, distributed nearly $8,000 among the farm- 
ers from this mill alone. 

The Mt. Pleasant Novelty Works was erected 
during the fall of 1883, and is owned and operated 
by Messrs. Chas. Jeffords and Cliarles C. Whitney. 
They manufacture doors, sash, blinds, and also do 
scroll-sawing and ornamental work. Thirty men are 
employed by tliis firm when running the mill at its 
full capacity. 



Harris Bros, are proprietors of the Merchant Mills, 5|? 
and are doing a fine business. They have three run ^ 
of stone and ship large quantities of flour, besides %'^ 
doing a large amount of custom work. The roller T 
process has been recently added, which gives them V© 
increased facilities for the manufacture of flour, their 
brands of which have become famous tliroughout 
Northern Michigan. 

The foundry and planing mills of Messrs. Proctor 
& Bamber are centrally located and do quite a nice 
business in their line. 

The patent-hoop factory of F. E. Prince & Co. is 
a novelty in its way, and promises to revolutionize 
tlie manufacture of barrel hoops entirely. The ma- 
chine was invented and patented by Mr. F. E. Prince 
last year, and is the only one of the kind in the coun- 
try. The average number of finished hoops is 
400,000 per month. This industry keeps 40 men in 
employment in getting out the timber, etc., and adds 
largely to the manufacturing interests of the village. 

Besides these industries, there are a large number 
of blacksmith and wagon shops, harness and shoe 
shops, all of which add to the business of the village 
in a marked degree. » 

In the mercantile line the dry-goods and grocery 
trade is very large. The most extensive houses in 
this line are those of John Maxwell, E. E. Wood, A. 
E. Chatterton and E. A. & W. E. Ward. 

The staple and fancy grocery trade is well repre- 
sented by D. H. Oilman, W. S. Hunt, Carr & Gran- 
ger, D. Ryan, E. G. Curtis, F. L. Davis & Co. and 
Kane. 

C. H. Houk and John Kenny do a nice business 
and are popular restaurateurs. 

Nearly all the dealers in dry goods carry a large 
assortment of clothing and boots and shoes. Of 
these, Thomas McNamara, H. M. Angell and W. 
Doughty have the most extensive trade. 

W. H. Yerrick & Co. and A. Hall are exclusive 
dealers in boots and shoes, and C. H. Thompson and 
D. Switzer carry a large stock of jewelry, watches, 
clocks, etc. 

The hardware business is immense; and no village i 
of such pretentions as Mt. Pleasant can boast of ^ 
larger and finer establishments in this line than those &' 
of Messrs. L. N. Smith, Doughty Bros, and Geo. C ^ 
Faulkner & Co. @] 

The livery business forms an important factor in "^ 

^nt];>.L^ ^^^ .4^5^@y^) 



(5) 
0) 






^ Xi^l' ^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^ 



) 



1^ 



>J 



4^ . . 

^ff all towns remote from railroad communication, and 
'|J to this date Mt. Pleasant has not been classed as the 
•'^ most fortunate in this respect. Of the livery firms, 
I George McDonald has the finest barn, and a splendid 
lot of horses and fine outfits. The Whitney Brothers 
and V. K. Brown also have splendid turnouts and 
an excellent trade. 

B. F. Kyes deals in music, sewing-machines, etc., 
and has quite a nice trade. 

Two artists, Messrs. Smith and J. T. Conloii, are 
popular photographers, and their studios exhibit 
evidences of their skill. 

Mt. Pleasant is one of the healthiest villages in 
the Peninsular State, yet a number of skilled physi- 
cians reside here, and their business, while not ex- 
tensive, brings with it a nice income. We are pleased 
to mention the names of these gentlemen, all of whom 
enjoy the respect and confidence of the community 
in a high degree: Drs. P. E. Richmond, M. F. Fas- 
quelle, F. H. Tyler, J. C. Corbus, L. J. Petz and 
Royal & J. J. Stoner. The different schools of medi- 
cine are ably represented by these gentlemen, among 
whom the greatest harmony prevails. 

Drug-stores are always found where civilization 
^ exists, and there is a growing demand for the goods 
J handled in a legitimate business. W. W. Cox & Co. 
give theirs the significant name, "People's Drug- 
store." This firm have recently opened their store 
and the stock is complete. Charles Westlake is pro- 
prietor of the "City Drug-store," and is also Post- 
master of the village. The office being located in his 
store, assures a large trade, aside from the popularity 
of its owner. Messrs. Carr & Granger have a large 
and choice line of drugs, chemicals and school-books. 
Their establishment is known as the "Central Drug- 
store." All three of these houses are located on 
Broadway. The " Main Street Drug-store " is owned 
and operated by Messrs. McQueen & Ralph, whose 
excellent tastes are magnificent in the neatness of 
arrangement in displaying their goods. Not less 
than $30,000 is invested by the four stores in the 
(^ drug line alone. 
1 John Craig and Kimball Bros, are large dealers in 
I? fresh and salt meats, fish, game, etc. J. E. Wilcox 
and Fred Pferdesteller are engaged in the furniture 
and undertaking business. Both carry complete 
stocks of everything in their line. 

The dental profession is represented by Drs. G. A. 



') 



■^^l\<s)^^^ 



Goodsell and J. B. VanFossen, both skilled operators. 

Millinery is represented by Mesdames C. Kimball, 
O. S. Stanton and Ruth M. Davis. All report a 
splendid trade, and their display of goods is artistic 
and elaborate. 

Wadhams & Farrell, S. May and Frank F. Foster 
deal largely in clothing and gents' furnishing goods. 
Everything in their line of merchandise can be pro- 
cured at either of the houses mentioned. 

V. F. Conlogue deals extensively in agricultural 
implements, farm wagons, buggies, etc. 

Real estate is rapidly advancing, but bargains may 
yet be obtained of Messrs. Hopkins & Lyon, Judge 
Cornelius Bennett and W. I. Cutler, the latter of 
whom has also an abstract office. Other firms also 
handle real estate, among whom might be mentioned 
Brown & Leaton, A. B. Upton and Hance & Dever- 
eaux. 

Russell & Whitney do a legitimate insurance busi- 
ness, and allow the above mentioned firms a clear 
field in real estate. 

The pioneer bank of Mt. Pleasant is the one 
managed by the firm of Hicks, Bennett & Co. This 
corporation was organized in April, 1875, and has 
since that time done a general banking business. 
Robert Young was the first cashier; he was suc- 
ceeded by A. B. Upton, who retired Jan. i, 1S84. 
D. Scott Partridge is now the cashier, and by his 
long business acquaintance and well known integrity 
has added largely to the interests of the corporation. 
The stockholders are all men of wealth and influence, 
and the firm of Hicks, Bennett & Co., is considered 
one of the most reliable in Central Michigan. The 
bank is located in the Opera-House Block, and have 
commodious quarters with a fire and burglar proof 
safe, secured by a double time lock, the same being 
fixed in a fire-proof vault constructed especially for 
the purpose. 

The firm of Brown, Harris & Co. have a neat 
building opposite the Opera-House Block, and the 
stockholders are composed of the following well 
known persons, all of whom are quite wealthy: 
William N. Brown, Elizabeth G. Kellogg, M. Dever- 
eaux, Minnie K. Brown, Amelia S. K. May, Samuel 
W. Hopkins, D. H. Nelson, John C. Leaton, Harris 
Bros, and J. W. Hance. The bank was opened for 
business Jan 12, 1883, since which time it has done 
a splendid business. John A. Harris is the cashier, 



f 

I 



V 



A 



ca: 



V 



(^ 



t 



:*:ilDr>»-?- 



e 



f 

I 

f 



>/^))f$i?#^' 



I SAB ELLA COUNTY. 



-7^^^^^- 



4^^5f 






>$ 



V 



i 



and no more popular gentleman ever cashed a check. 
The business is all that could be desired, and is 
profitable to the stockholders and convenient for its 
patrons. 



Churches and Societies. 




|[!^YSTEMIZED social work is characteristic 
of civilization everywhere; and accordingly 
the new occupants of the soil in the forests 
of Isabella County made haste to organize 
Cluirches and societies for the general amel- 
ioration of their condition. We here give a 
sketch of the religious and other societies of Mt. 
Pleasant. 

THE METHODIST CHURCH. 

Religious services were held in this county by 
those wlio were members of this Church prior to the 
formation of a permanent organization. Rev. R. P. 
Sheldon was one of the first ministers who came to 
Isabella County ; and, uixDn the formation of " Chip- 
pewa Circuit," which was effected in 1861, at the 
annual conference held at Battle Creek, he was ap- 
pointed and placed in charge. Rev. George Bradley 
was the first Presiding Elder. This circuit originally 
embraced nearly the whole of this county, but as the 
county became more densely settled and new ap- 
pointments formed it was divided, and now embraces 
Calkinsville, Dushville and all the appointments 
south of that in the county. In 1863, Rev. R. P. 
Sheldon was again assigned to this circuit, with Rev. 
H. Hall, Presiding Elder. 

The Church records fail to show when or where 
the first class was formed. The first mention of a 
class was while Rev. Eli Westlake had charge of the 
circuit. He organized one, consisting of 24 persons, 
at the house of Bro. Burger's, in Lincoln Township, 
with Morris Titus as Leader. The name of the cir- 
cuit had been previously changed to Isabella, but in 
1870 it was again changed to Mt. Pleasant Circuit. 
In 1872, Salt River and appointments south were 
placed in a separate charge, leaving the village of 
Mt. Pleasant, Chippewa and Gulick's school-houses 
to be supplied by the minister stationed at Mt. Pleas- 
ant. 

The first church at this village was erected and 




dedicated in 1866. Tlie services were conducted 
upon that occasion by Rev. George B. Jocelyn, D. 
D., LL. D., of Albion College, assisted by Rev. F. B. 
Hangs. 

The year of 1872 was a very prosperous one for 
the society, both in a financial and theological way. 
Many needed repairs were made upon both church 
and parsonage, all of which expenses were defrayed 
by substantial contributions, Mrs. Sophia Bradley, 
widow of Rev. Geo. Bradley, donating $250. The 
society, with varying fortune, maintained their ground, 
gradually increasing the membership until it became 
evident that a new church must be built to accom- 
modate the numbers desiring to attend Methodist ser- 
vices, the present church being inadequate. 

In 188 r Rev. J. K. Stark was appointed to the 
charge at Mt. Pleasant, and his energy in bringing 
about the successful completion of the new church 
is deserving of commendation. The old church was 
exchanged for the site which the new church now 
occupies, the e.xchange being effected with Mr. D. H. 
Nelson, a wealthy gentleman residing in Mt. Pleas- 
ant, who, after the transfer had been made, donated 
the old church property, valued at $1,5 00, to the soci- 
ety. The building was sold to the village of Mt. 
Pleasant for a council room and engine house, and 
the lot was sold to the county, upon which a new 
jail and sheriff's residence will be erected during this 
year. Added to the already large donation of Mr. 
Nelson was the princely gift of $2,000 in cash, which 
stimulated the members and friends of the society 
until tiiey determined to erect a church edifice that 
would afford ample accommodations for many years. 
The contract was let to Mr. M. S. Anderson, and the 
corner-stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies 
July I, 1882, an address being made by the Rev. H. 
M. Joy, Presiding Elder of Grand Rapids, followed 
by one from Rev. J. A. Sprague, Presiding Elder of 
this district. 

The church was opened for services May 6, 1883, 
when all the money was raised necessary to liquidate 
all indebtedness. Rev. D. F. Barnes preached in 
the morning, and Elder Sprague at the evening ser- 
vice. August ig, 1883, the church was dedicated to 
Almighty God, by Rev. J. A. Sprague, assisted by L. 
R. Fiske. D. D., LL. I). 

The Methodist church is the finest and most 
commodious house of worship in the village, and 



V^ 



I 






t1^ 



I 



mk 



■^^^^ — ^7^c^Dg>^niis>M^ — ^^^^ 



4^^^,. 






"^\si 



i^^r 



t:rv 



4:tlIl^llIl^> 



"7-^^ 



-*#^C(^ 



f^^^ll 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



i^ cost, with the grounds, $15,000. The society is not 
'I) indebted one dollar of the amount, and the niem- 
'i^ bers, as well as many persons outside the Chuch.are 
f entitled to great credit for their liberality. The 
(Oj church is a handsome brick structure, built in the 
Gothic style of architecture, with a seating capacity 
of 400. The furniture is of black ash, trimmed with 
walnut. The acoustic properties of the audience- 
room are unsurpassed. The names of Rev. R. P. 
Sheldon, the first minister, and Rev. George Bradley, 
the first Presiding Elder, of Chippewa Circuit, adorn 
the memorial window in the ne.v church, not solely 
because they were the first, but they were a pair of 
noble workers in the army of God's ministers, through 
whose labors much good was accomplished, and the 
love and respect of the whole Church obtained. 
This is a fitting tribute to those qualities of mind 
and heart which were so largely inherent in those two 
rJ) ^^o'^t'^y gentlemen, whose names will ever live in the 
^ history of the society in Isabella County. On an- 
other window appear the names of Mr. D. H. Nelson 
and Mrs. Abigail Babbitt, both of whom gave with 
lavish hand to assist in the erection of this elegant 
sanctuary. 

A new parsonage, corresponding with the beauty 
in design and finish of the new church edifice, will 
, . be erected during the autumn of 1SS4. This will 
- ^ cost, when complete, with the lots on which it will be 
erected, fully $3,000. 

The rules of the Methodist Ei)iscopal Church re- 
quire that their ministers shall change locations at 
least once in three years. Below are given the names 
of those worthies who have served this charge since 
1 86 1, together with the dates of their pastorate : 






'^ 



V 



t 



R. P. Sheldon, 


1861-3 


L. M. Garlic, 


1864 


D. 0. Fox, 


,865 


J. Webb, 


1866-7 


T. J. Sjiencer, 


1868 


W. T. Williams, 


1869 


Eli Westlake, 


1870-2 


G. W. Gosling, 


'873 


E. H. Sparling, 


1S74-S 


A. C. Beach, 


1876 


W. W. Ware, 


1877-8 


J. H. Bready, 


1879 


J. W. Hulenbeck, 


1S80 


J. K. Stark, 


1881-3 



The latter is the present Pastor, whose labors have 
been fraught with much success. He is one of the 




most talented divines in Northern Michigan, and his 
congregation are loth to give him up, although the 
inexorable law of the Church demands it. Wherever 
the Rev. Stark is called, will the Church find in him 
one of the most logical and earnest workers in the 
theological field. 

THE PRESIiVTERI.VN CHURCH. 

The Presbyterians of Mt. Pleasant and vicinity 
were the second sciety to undertake the difficult 
but almost imperative task of erecting a place of wor- 
ship. Having long felt the necessity of a permanent 
place of meeting, the Ladies' Aid Society undertook 
to procure, and did procure, the present site for a 
church building, — Mr. Cornelias Bennett donating 
one-half the lot. This magnanimous gift of the soci- 
ety stimulated the Church members and friends to 
undertake the erection of a church, and after many 
trials and reverses, by dint of hard work and great per- 
severance, with the aid of many and liberal subscrip- 
tions of the citizens, they succeeded in presenting to 
the society the present imposing and cheerful struc- 
ture, which was dedicated to Almighty God in Feb. 
ruary, 1875, — Rev. Mr. Middlemus, of Saginaw, 
preaching the dedicatory sermon ; Rev. Calvin Clark, 
Rev. Mr. Willett Knott, Turrill Sparling and others, 
assisting. 

THE UNH ARIAN SOCIETY. 

In the summer of 188 1 the Rev. R. Conner, a Uni- 
tarian minister, came to Mt. Pleasant and delivered 
two lectures, to which a large number of the citizens 
of this place listened. The remarks of Mr. Conner 
awakened quite an interest in the minds of a number 
of the thinking people of this village, and a desire to 
form a society was apparent. Rev. R. W. Savage 
came in September, 1881, and delivered a course of 
lectures, and in the following month effected a per- 
manent organization, with about 20 members. 

For one year and a half after its organization the 
meetings were held in the Opera House. During this 
time the society increased in strength and numbers, 
and the necessity of a permanent place of meeting 
was felt. The subjeC. was discussed, and finally 
plans, drawn by Donaldson & Meier, of Detroit, 
were adopted. C. C. Whitney was the contractor. 
The work was begun on the new church building in 
February, 1883, and completed in December of the 
same year, at a cost of $3,000. The frescoing is a 









c-^: 






1|a ®))«^€^' ^''^^ — ^y^m .^: M<>^ — ^^gs^ 



4^^ 



1 



"25^^^ 



t-N. 



■^vc^ 






:^^ 



V 



">. 



d. 

^ 



y . . - 

>^ beautiful piece of workmanship. The main body of 
'n the chapel has a seating capacity of 250, and with 
;^^ the parlors thrown open 50 more can be accommo- 
T dated. The chapel was formally dedicated in the 
,'?). winter of 1883, at which time the State Conference 
of the Unitarian society was held here. Rev. R. 
Conner, of East Saginaw, preached the dedicatory 
sermon, assisted by Rev. T. B. Forbush, Rev. J. T. 
Sunderland, of Ann Arbor, Rev. Geo. Stickney, of 
Grand Haven, Rev. Julius Blass, of Jackson, and 
Rev. F. E. Kittredge, the State Unitarian Mis- 
sionary of Michigan. Delegates were present from 
every society in the State except the one at Kalama- 
zoo. At this dedication Miss Ida C. Hultoii, of 
Athens, Mich., read a very interesting pai)er on 
"Woman and Her Work." 

This is the only " liberal " society in the county, 
and they are rapidly gaining ground and constantly 
increasing in numbers. Mr. Savage has been to the 
flock an able leader ever since its organization in 
i88x, and with his aid and good management they 
expect to build a beautiful brick structure for holding 
services, and the present building will be used for 
a chapel. Sabbath-school, socials, etc. 

A. B. Upton is President of the society; Hon. S. 
W. Hopkins, Vice President; Free Estee, Secretary, 
and Hon. J. W. Hance, Treasurer. The Executive 
Committee is composed of Wni. T. Whitney, John 
Fraser and V. K. Conlogue. 

As an auxiliary to the Unitarian Society, there was 
organized, January 16, 1882, a society known as 
the Ladies' Union. The object of this Union is 
the promotion of social life and general good in the 
community, by working in harmony with the First 
Unitarian Society of Mt. Pleasant. The funds of 
the Union are wholly under the control of its mem- 
bership. Gentlemen are admitted as honorary mem- 
bers. 

The first officers were : President, Mrs. A. B. 
Upton; Vice President, Mrs. J. J. Stoner; Secretary, 
L. J. King; Assistant Secretary, Mrs. C. C. Whitney; 
Treasurer, Mrs. \V. Woodbury; Collectors, C. M. 
Brooks and Miss Denison ;. Reception Committee, 
M. Brown and Mrs. Whitney. 

The funds placed at the disposal of the Union 
during the first two years of its existence amounted 
to nearly $600. The society rendered very material 
assistance in the furnishing of the new chapel, and 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






573 



has paid the incidental expenses of the Unitarian 
Society, excepting the salary of the pastor, since the 
date of its organization. 

The present officers are: President, Mrs. Geo. C. 
Faulkner; Vice President, Mrs. Ralph; Secretary, 
Mrs. A. B. Upton ; Assistant Secretary, Mrs. W. 
Woodbury; Treasurer, Mrs. C. C. Whitney; Collec- 
tors, Mrs. M. Brown and Mrs. E. Potter. 

The Sunday-school connected with this society is 
in a flourishing condition, and is under the able 
superintendency of Rev. R. W. Savage. Several 
valuable contributions of choice books have been 
received for the Sabbath-school library ; among these 
is a collection of 150 volumes donated by James 
Freeman Clark's Church, of Boston. The society of 
which Mr. Barbar, editor of the Unitarian Review, 
is leader, has also donated a nice addition to this 
library. 

Rev. R, W. Savage is rapidly building up the so- 
ciety by his eloquence and logical teachings. 

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

The Catholics had for a long time talked of build- 
ing a permanent place for public worship. Some 
time prior to 1876, Hon. I. A. Fancher donated to 
the society three acres of ground. The location is 
in a beautiful part of the village, and a neat and 
capacious church edifice that may well be the pride 
and glory of their best endeavors has been erected. 
The number of adherents to the faith has increased 
steadily, and under the present teachings of Rev. 
Father McCarthy the constant promotion and growth 
of the society is assured. 

ST. John's episcopal church. 

One of the most handsome churches in Northern 
Michigan is the one bearing the above name, which 
was erected in 1883, and consecrated Jan. 10, 1884, 
by Rt. Rev. Bishop George D. Gillespie, assisted by 
Revs. VV. A. Masters, of Detroit, B. F. Matrau, of 
Saginaw, Stearns, of St. Louis, Pritchard, of Luding- 
ton, and Phames, of Midland. After the ceremonies 
of consecration, the sacrament of the Lord's supper 
was administered, a large number of those jjresent 
taking jjart in the solemn rite. 

After the services, which lasted nearly three hours, 
the invited guests from abroad, and many of the 
prominent ladies and gentlemen of this village, were 
taken in carriages to the Bennett House, where they 



c< 



4 



r^; 



f-. 



/^ 574 






<^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-*»Qi& 



f 



^ dined as the guests of Hon. Wm. N. Brown, through 
'Jn whose princely liberality this church was erected, he 
.''^ having built it, at a cost of $4,300. which, with the 
entire furniture, etc., was upon that day presented to 
the diocese. The lots upon which the church stands 
were donated by Gen. Dvight May (father of Mrs. 
Brown) for church purposes. 

Too much praise cannot be given Hon. Wm. N. 
Brown, for his liberality, who, with his wife, unas- 
sisted by any one, caused the erection, and donation 
\^ to the Episcopal society, of this, one of the finest 
J/% churches in the land. All the brick were made on 
Mr. Brown's own yard, the lumber sawed and care- 
fully selected at his own mill : the teaming, excavat- 
ing, etc., were done by his men. He states that the 
building could not be contracted to-day for less 
than §7,500. 

Tliis church is located on the corner of Washing- 
) ton and Maple Streets, some distance from the bus- 
iness portion of this enterprising village. The 
/\ exterior presents a very handsome appearance. It 
a has a substantial stone foundation, is brick veneered, 
finished in an Elizabethan-Gothic style, the roof being 
relieved from an ordinary appearance by four gable 
windows of stained glass. The building stands back 
from the street some feet, and a number of steps 
lead into it. The inside is patterned after a 
church design on the Duke of Devonshire's estate in 
England, and is very elaborate. At the same time 
there is nothing gaudy in the arrangements or finish, 
the whole work showing good taste on the part of 
those who selected the designs. It is finished in ash 
and oiled, the decorations being Venetian frescoing 
and no painting of any sort. The pews are comfort- 
able and of a modern design, and have a seating 
capacity of 200. The aisles, altar and choir plat- 
form are neatly carpeted; the building is heated by 
a furnace in the basement, and lighted by two hand- 
some prism chandeliers. To the left of the altar 
are the vestry rooms, finished in the same manner as 
the other portions of the church, while on the riglit 
of the chancel is located the choir loft. The chan- 
cel is furnished with botli a reading desk and fal- 
stool, while to the rear is the communion table and 
chancel rail. The communion service is of solid 
^ silver, while the a'tar furniture is of the finest de- 
fr^ scrijjtion. 
^ A resident pastor will be engaged during the year 



>^ 



<^ 



':) 



^ 



(1884), services being held at convenient times by 
ministers from abroad. They have a live member- 
ship to begin with, of 30 persons, who are determined 
to employ none but the best talent to represent their 
cause. 

THE D.^PTIST SOCIETV. 

Although having no church this society still main- 
tains its organization. It was formed in 1883, with a 
membership of six persons. Having no regular min- 
ister, of course the growth must necessarily be slow, 
yet the intention is to erect a substantial church, 
employ a minister of talent and build up the society. 
Rev. Monroe, of Salt River, is entitled to the credit 
of forming the Baptist society in this village. 

THE SUNDAV-SCHOOI-S. 

As a moral and religious educator, the Sunday- 
school forms a most important factor. The day is 
past when any man can successfully maintain that 
Christianity does not exert a beneficial influence in 
every community in which it has a representation. 
Sunday-schools, that necessary auxiliary of the 
Church, have been well established all over the 
county, and are very well sustained. Too much 
cannot be said or done in that direction ; it has many 
bearings on the youthful mind; it molds and fashions 
thought; establishes moral and religious habits, as 
well as Christian associations; it draws the mind 
from baser thoughts, and causes it to dwell upon 
that which is elevating and refining. If all would 
use their best endeavors to promote the establish- 
ment and growth of the Sunday-school, the results 
would be plainly apparent in the increased moral 
and intellectual growth of the youth in our land. 
The Sunday-schools under the supervision of the 
Churches in this village and county are notable ex- 
amples of what can be accomplislied in this direction. 

MUSICIANS. 

Among t1ic many pleasant features of this beauti- 
ful town, music forms an important factor. Very few 
villages have so many accomplished musicians, and 
none can boast of better ones. Major J. W. Long 
has had a large number of elegant pieces published, 
the copyright of which has been sold in every in- 
stance, and some of his finest productions are yet in 
manuscript. His wife is .also a teacher of music, and 
is one of the most accom|)lished musicians. 



I 



^' 






< 



O 






AJ)$^^^^ 



•<?S^ 



<^na5^DDvi>A 



-^ 



I 
I 
1 






-^^^ — e^V<->nP>:illlv>v-— 

ISABELLA COUNTY. 



■^2^N5>jr<Sr 



^ 



/\ 



:-<5 



V 

s 



t 



Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Woodworth furnish all the 
music for balls, theaters, etc. 

Mrs. Cora Stebbins has few equals upon the piano, 
and surely none in affability. 

A number might be mentioned who are excellent 
performers, but these are the most prominent musi- 
cians of the village, and they deserve special men- 
tion. 

WABON LODGE NO. 305, A. F. & A. M. 

This lodge was instituted in 187 1. The early 
records were destroyed by fire, which makes it im- 
possible to give but a passing notice of its early 
history. The first officers were: Albert Fo.x, W. 
M.; W. VV. H. Gavitt, S. W.; W. H. Harris, J. W.; 
I. A. Fancher, Treas.; John Manners, Sec; L. J. 
Worden, S. D.; Charles Worden, J. D.; and A. B. 
Balcom, Tyler. The charter members were the fol- 
lowing named gentlemen: A. Fox, William N. Harris, 
William H. Gavitt, John Maxwell, Isaac A. Fancher, 
Seth T. Worden, Charles E. Worden, James Fockler, 
De Los Bramon, A. B. Balcom, Charles O. Curtis, 
and H. M. Gilman. 

Wabon Lodge is now one of the best working 
lodges in Central Michigan, and the present Master, 
D. Scott Partridge, is peculiarly well fitted for the 
place he occupies. For several years he has served 
the brethren in the cajjacity of Master, and their 
feelings toward him is well understood by the presen- 
tation speech delivered by Dr. S. C. Brown, Dec. 12, 
1883, and given on page 445 of this volume. 

The officers elect for the ensuing Masonic year 
are : D. Scott Partridge, W. M.; Wm. A. Stark- 
weather, S. D.; Daniel M. Witt, J. D.; Myron A. 
Nott, Treas.; William L Cutler, Sec; Tliomas Samp- 
son, S. D.; Moses Brown, J. D., and John Ma.wvell, 
Chaplain. 

The prosperity of Wabon Lodge is only eiiualled 
by the harmony and good feeling which [)revail 
among the brethren. 

MT. PLEASANT CHAPTER, NO. Ill, K. A. M., 

was organized Feb. 4, 1884. The disi)ensation was 




granted authorizing them to work April 9, 1883. The 
charter members of this order were : Messrs. Rob- 
ert Laughlin, Mark F. Fasquelle, John R. Robinson, 
Silenus A. Simons, D. Scott Partridge, C. O. Curtis, 
P. F. Doods, E. F. McQueen, Wm. A. Osborn, Cicero 
Kimball, L N. Shepherd, John Maxwell, Samuel 
Kennedy, Richard Hoy, James B. Kennedy and 
Henry Struble. 

The first officers elect were: Robert Laughlin, H. 
P.; M. F. Fasquelle, K.; J. R. Robinson, S ; S. A. 
Simons, Treas.; D. Scott Partridge, Sec; Chas. O. 
Curtis, C. H.; P. F. Doods, P. S; E. F. McQueen, 
R. A. C; Wm. A. Osborn, G. M. 3d V.; C. Kimball, 
G. M. 2d v.; Jno. Maxwell, G. M. ist V., and I. N. 
Shepherd, Sentinel. 

Wm. T. Whitney was the first one to receive the 
degree of the Holy Royal Arch. 

The present officials are : Robert Laughlin, H. 
P.; M. F. Fasquelle, K.; L N. Shepherd, S.; D. Scott 
Partridge, C. H.; E. F. McQueen, P. S.; W. J. Cor- 
bus, Treas.; Wm. T. Whitney, Sec; John Maxwell, 
3d G. M.; Cicero Kimball, 2d G. M.; John Rich- 
mond, ist G. M.; Chas. C. Whitney, Sentinel, and 
John R. Robinson, Chaplain. 

The chapter is in a flourishing condition. They 
are pleasantly located in the lodge rooms of No. 305, 

A. F. & A. M. 

KNIGHTS OF THE MACCAIiEES. 

The lodge was instituted March 17, 1884, with a 
membership of 22 persons. The order is calculated 
to promote t"riendsliip and brotherly love, besides 
being a muti.al relief association. The officers are: 
F. H.Tyler, Past Commander; Charles T. Russell, 
Commander; V. F. Conlogue, Lieut.; Fred Russell, 
R. K.; F. W. Ralph, F. K.; W. C. Dusenbury, P.; 
F. H. Tyler, Physician; J. J. Kitchen, Sergeant; J. 

B. VanFossen, M. A. A.; O. W. Stebbins, ist M. of 
G; F. C. Prince, 2nd M. of G.; L L. Swan, Sentinel ; 
and W. R. Sturgis, Picket. 



^-^^'«— 



yp; 



< 






JWB»?mf<_ 



-M^*V5*^ 




I 
t 




^ 






>^ 



^) 



^ 



The Isabella County Enterprise. 



^^ ^i^^ S '^■^^ ■'^ '''^" early day in the history 



3?^ 



■■-:S^ftM 




of the county, O. B. Church 

:;^n|''ijiStarted a weekly paper called 

the Norihfin Pioiuer. The 

material used and the print- 



n 

' * ~^'@| iiig press, which was the first 



I 



"^ press m tlie county, were 
hauled from Ithaca to Mt. Pleasant in 
the year 1863, by order of Judge Estee. 
It may be stated here that this same 
press is still in use at the Enterprise 
office; and, although it passed through 
the fire of 1875, it is still in good work- 
ing order. 

The first issue of the paper was dated 
Nov. 30, 1864. It was Republican in 
principles, and has always been an ex- 
ponent, and is still a supporter, of the Republican 
party. The name has been changed to the Isabella 
Enterprise, and John R. Doughty is now editor and 
proprietor. The original proprietor sold, in an early 
day, one-half interest to James P. Welper, and after- 
ward the remainder to Myron McLaren, who subse- 
quently bought out Mr. Welper. Mr. McLaren then 
sold to I. A. Fancher, and the latter in turn sold to 
Albert Fox, who owned and controlled it until his 
death, in February, 1873, when it was sold to its 
present proprietor. It is now entering upon its 20th 
year, with a reputation exceeding that of any former 
year, in circulation, etc. The editor, Mr. Doughty, 
has proven himself, during all these years, an able 
expounder of Republican principles, and its columns 



have done much to forward not only the growth of 
Republicanism, but also to advance the prosperity 
and moral tone of the good people of this county. 



j'l/WN.— 5"^ 



The Northwestern Tribune. 

"SiT Salt River, in September, 1S79, this enter- 
^ terprising journal was established, the pro- 




prietors being then, as now. Dr. S. C. Brown & 
Sons. It was removed to Mt. Pleasant in 
March, 1881, where it takes equal rank with 
the other able journals published in this village. Dr. 
Brown is one of the joUiest fellows that ever drew a 
pen in support of his country, and nothing but thor- 
ough Repubhcan doctrines has ever been seen on the 
editorial page of the Tribune. It has a fine circula- 
tion, and, as the Doctor states, " grows in grace day 
by day." 



Mt. Pleasant Times. 

If HE Mt. Pleasant Times was established in 
1877, by Henry H. Graves, who was its pro- 

Wp^ "^ prietor, with James VV. Long as editor. It 
was first run as a Democratic and aftersvards 
as a Greenback paper, until Nov. 19, 1879, 
wlien Major James W. Long, the present owner 

and publisher, took possession. Major Long con- 



.<=^.A 



<^n!i.^nn;>^ 



A. 



^S^ZL 



( 



^ 



e< 



"</■ 

^ 



r 



1 




m 

I 



^ 



4^I]D:$: 



ISABELLA 



COUNTY. 



"5i-i 



4^^^ 



verted it into an independent paper, and has run it 
as such ever since. The Times is the official county 
paper of Isabella County, and also the official city 
paper of Mt. Pleasant. From the first it lias enjoyed 
a large run of patronage, its influence being sought 
for in times of election, and has been the favorite 
office of the county for job and legal work. Its cir- 
culation is a solid one, its subscribers all being pay- 
ing ones. It is conducted as a family newspaper, 
giving especial attention to live locals, general news, 
and, in the intervals between elections, publishing a 
continued story written by the editor. Already four 




have been published, viz: "Archibald Graham," 
" Little Gertie," " Tuck Meredith " and " Born to the 
People;" and at present a fifth one, entitled '' Oriola," 
is running. These stories have been received with 
avor, as an increasing subscription list testifies. 

The Times is a large eight-page, seven-column 
paper, making 56 columns weekly, and has a larger 
amount of reading matter than any other paper in its 
vicinity. 

Being independent in (lolitics, it supports the men 
whom it deems best fitted for office, regardless of 
their |)olitical affiliations. 



I 






I 




^.VTA'^vjg ^^iyy^yy'-^'^-)^^^^ 







i^, 



o 



g 

^ 

< 

d 



V 




r > HE county of Isabella has not 
until recently enjoyed the 
advantages which railroad 
facilities bring, but it has 
already two lines established 
and in active operation, with 
two other lines in contem- 
plation, one of which is assured. 
Over these the produce of the 
country will be carried ere the ter- 
mination of the year 1884. 

In the present age, it seems that 
railroads constitute the most po- 
Ij^*^ tential agency in the advancement 
■S^V^'-V^ '^^ human interests; and the days 
r>>^^'(h/, of waiting for them in this county 
,«^^Jv<* must have seemed long and tedi- 
ous to all the early residents. 



Saginaw & Mt. Pleasant Railroad. 

;|^QIllAGINA\V & Mt. Pleasant Railroad was 
fl^Ht" constructed in 1879 from Coleman, on the 
Ipi-ft jji^g ^f ji^g p,|,^j ^^t Pere Marquette, to the 
ivvs v'll-^g^ of ^^'- I^leasant, the county seat of Isa- 
(W bella. The company for the construction of 
this line was organized under the general rail- 
road law in March, 1879, and the following gentle- 
men elected officers: President, Jesse Hoyt, of 
New York; Vice-President, I. A. Fancher, of Mt. 
Pleasant; Secretary and Treasurer, W. L.Webber, 
of East Saginaw. 

The work of clearing and grading was connnenced 
in the latter part of July, 1879, and track-laying 
September 24, of same year. This work was com- 
pleted on Tuesday, December 8, and regular trains 
put on December 15. The road, with equipment 



^ 578_ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



-esK?7§ 



m 



f complete to commence business, cost $130,000. The 
enterprising citizens of Mt. Pleasant subscribed Si 5." 
000 of that amount, and the entire right of way, 
I together with a plenty of ground for stations and 
(Q; other purposes. The investment has brought thou- 
sands of dollars to Isabella County, and her lands, 
which now blossom as the rose, owe nearly all their 
enhanced value to the impetus given business by the 
advent of this railroad. 

The people of Mt. Pleasant hailed the completion 
of the new railroad with great joy. A grand street 
parade was made, in which all the citizens partici- 
pated. The business houses were closed at 10 a. m., 
and a committee repaired to the depot to meet the 
party of officials who arrived on the 11 A. m. train. 
The address of welcome was made by Mr. J. C. Lea- 
ton, President of the village, which was attentively 
listened to by a Urge concourse of people. Hon. I. 
A. Fancher, to whom much credit is due for his 
activity in helping forward the work, did much to- 
ward making this demonstration a success. Major 
James W. Long acted as Marshal, and the afternoon 
parade coiii prised: 

I. — Mt. Pleasant Cornet Uand. 

2. — President, Village Council and Distinguished 

Guests. 
3. — Steam Fire Engine. 
4. — Hose Company. 
5. — Hook and Ladder Company. 
6. — Citizens on foot. 
7, — Citizens in carriages. 

The procession formed at the dcjwt, marched to 
the court-house, where William N. Brown delivered a 
pleasant address, followed by D. Nelson and Dr. H. 
C. Potter, one of the railroad officials, who in turn 
was followed by Hon. L A. Fancher, the only one of 
the Board of Directors representing Mt. Pleasant. 

In the evening the court-house and nearly all the 
residences in the village were illuminated, and hilar- 
ity reigned supreme. Wm. N Brown's elegant resi- 
dence was thrown open, and a reception held from 
(§^ 7 to II o'clock. There was a very general atlend- 
i ance and a most enjoyable evening was passed. The 
'if? guests were received in a charming manner by the 
(J^ host and hostess, the latter having to aid her Mes- 
^ dames I. A. Fancher, Cornelius Bennett, Major J. W. 
Long, J. C. Leaton, W. S. Hunt and J. R. Doughty. 
Delicate and tempting refreshments were served dur- 







ing the evening, the supper room presenting an ani- 
mated picture, as the guests, full of glee, discoursed 
cheerily of the bright future in store for the town. 

With the coming of the railroad, a boom began for 
Mt. Pleasant, and the rapid increase in business en- 
terprise and population became marked. With out- 
lets on the south and a road to tap the Lake Superior 
region, her people may be content, as it will thus give 
them communication willi the world in all points of 
the compass. 



The Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad. 

HIS road was built acrjss Wise Township 

ill 1870, being the first road completed in 

Isabella County. Loomis is the only station 

rJ^ on that line in Isabella. The road was first 

completed from Flint to Saginaw in 1862, and 

it has since been extended over a great part of 




this peninsula. 




?;-?^^ 



,^^^ 



<^l 



-^= 



Lansing, Alma, Mt. Pleasant & Northern. 



i ORK on this road is being rapidly pushed, 
•llJc^^t)? ^"^ much of the grading is already com- 
*^p pleted. This route was surveyed during the 
winter of 1883-4, and it was deemed by com- 
petent persons one of the best routes in pros- 
pective that traverses the State of Michigan. The 
country through which it passes is remarkably rich in 
soil, with large lumber interests yet undeveloped. As 
an investment alone, it is now considered one of the 
most profitable, and the stockholders expect large 
returns from their new enterprise. 

The company was organized in January, 1S84, 
with A. W. Wright, President ; Wm. N. Brown, Vice- 
President; Wm. S. Turck, Treasurer, and Marcus 
Pollasky, Secretary. The following well known gen- 
tlemen, whose wealth is ample security that the road 
will be completed within the year, constitute the 
Board of Directors : A. W. Wright, Wm. N. Brown, 

n 



^ 



V 




ii^^Kir^s: crvC' 



^>r 



y^-^'- 



4^^C^V'il) 






^ 
y^ 



S 

I 



(|n 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



579 



Wm. S. Tuick, James Gargett, 1. N. Slicphcrd, Joliii 
A. Harris and George D. Barton. 

The road will have Lansing for its southern ter- 
minus, and will pass through an exceedingly fertile 
and beautiful country as it touches the enterprising 
villages of DeVVitt, St. John's, Maple Rapids, Alma 
and Mt. Pleasant, on its way northward, to some 
lX)int on Lake Michigan, which is not yet definitely 
settled. Mt. Pleasant will be the northern terminus, 
temix)rarily, but this outlet will be of vast importance 
to her business interests. It is quite certain that 
cars will be running on this new line before January, 
1885, and real estate is rapidly advancing in value. 





^:;s-*-:;::c<j5;::;j-ii;::jA^:::,;4is;g^(^;igij»g!g*-g.;5r.i^^;;$*^^ 



J 



iiJSSMlffli^MMillfl 









HIS iie.uling comprises many 
interesting items, which are 
well worthy a careful peru- 
sal. Among these may be 
mentioned the Pioneer Soci- 
ety, Educational interests, 
the Agricultural Society, the 
I ounty Poor Farm, etc., all of 
which are subjects with which 
every one should become familiar. 
All these matters are of etpial im- 
portance with those which are more 
regularly classified elsewhere in this 
work ; but their nature and the 
amount of matter concerning each 
make it more appropriate to jjlace 
them under the above head, at the 
conclusion of the historical department of this vol- 
ume. 



Material Interests. 

r , 111, growth ul Isabella County has been a 
^4 rapid one. The census of i860 gave her 
'G?JlF^ 1.443 inhabitants; and the one of 1880, 
12,159. ^ '1^ school census of 1883 gives her 
4,431, which almost trebles the entire popula- 
I tion of i860. The census report of 1880 shows 
13,733 acres of wheat, yielding 176,480 bushels. One- 
fourth more has since been cleared and sown to 
wheat, and with the excellent prospect now in view 
the harvest in Isabella this season may confidently 
be expected to produce 320,000 bushels. Add to 
this the yield of other cereals and vegetables for 
which this county is so famous, and to which may be 
added the large lumber product, it will compare fa- 
vorably with any county in Central Michigan. 

It is estimated by careful and competent persons 
that 50,000,000 feet of pine logs are annually floated 
down the Chipi)ewa alone. When we take into con- 



With this, if not the Toledo, Ann Arbor & North- 
western Railroad as well, Mt. Pleasant will lose her 
name as being an inland village. There is but little 
doubt that the latter road will be pushed northward, 
as the comi)any cannot afford to make St. Ix)uis the vS) 
terminus, and Mt. Pleasant, with her enteri)rise and 
unlimited facilities for manufacturing, is in no danger 
of being left out. The Lansing, Alma & Mt. Pleas- 
ant Railroad will be of more benefit to this village 
and county than any line from either direction could 
possibly be, as it passes through a better agricultural 
country along the entire route than can be found in 
any other direction. 



(^ 



A 



?■>' 






t 



^> 



i 









jifja 



—^^ — ©v4:iiii^niiv>v 



-*#^5C(®V|^} 






580 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



i 

1 



S 



a 



(S\ 






sideration that the Pine, the Big and Little Salt Riv- 
ers, and their tributaries, also carry away a wealth of 
lumber, as well as the hundreds of thousands of feet 
of manufactured lumber moved by rail, the value 
cannot be far short of $7,000,000 per annum. Add 
to this the amount of oak and stave timber, with the 
lath and shingles manufactured by the local mills in 
the county, and the total will exceed |!io, 000,000. 
The lumbering interest will remain chief among the 
business industries for several years in several of the 
townships, but the removal of the magnificent forests 
will add largely to agricultural development. 

There is not a man in the county who cannot 
point with pride to the immense resources which Isa- 
bella has in perpetuity for her children. The rich 
soil, even and healthful climate, industrious inhabit- 
ants and air of prosperity prevail everywhere. 

The assessed valuation of both real-estate and 
personal property in 1862 was $270,995. In 1883 it 
reached the sum of $3,772,346, in real estate, and the 
personal column foots up $419,227. Taking intu 
consideration that these figures really estimate less 
than one-half the real worth of real estate and other 
property, it will be safe to say that real estate alone 
in Isabella County is to-day worth $7,500,000, while 
the lands are not yet brought under the highest state 
of cultivation; neither are one-fourth of the fertile 
acres embraced in her boundaries cleared of the 
wealth of timber which abounds. The county is 
composed of 16 full townships, with 23,040 acres in 
each one, making a grand total of 368,640 acres, of 
which 2,000 acres or less might properly be termed 
"swamp lands," or lands unfit for cultivation. 



Patriotism of Isabella County. 



jLTHOUGH no regiments or even a single 
.gj^ company of men was raised in this county 
t^S] during the late war, yet patriotism was not 
"•ilir lacking, as shown by the number of volunteers 
•j^ who enlisted and did noble service in defense 
of their country. This was almost a virgin 
forest when the first call to arms was made, and the 
inhabitants were illy prejiared to make a living for 
their families, the country being so new and the im- 
provements meager. When the first enrollment was 




made, only 151 men were found subject to military 
duty ; of these, 137 enlisted! What act more noble 
can be conceived of than this, in which nearly every 
able-bodied man in the entire county left his wife and 
little ones, and hastened to the front in defense of his 
country's flag.' 

Only a few of these noble men returned. Their 
lives had been cheerfully given that the L'nion 
might be preserved and the country for which their 
grandsircs had fought, and as a heritage forever, re- 
main among their children an unbroken heirloom in 
which no North, no South, no East or West should 
be known, save as a whole and undivided country. 



The Pioneer Society. 



than the annual love-feasts which are en- 
=#^'0 gaged in by those whose heads are thickly 
j|f#A silvered with grey hairs? What pleasant 
'17 memories are associated with the well known 
stories related of ])ioneer life, when together they 
shared the toils, dangers, and even pleasures of the 
new country! In tho'se days there were no strangers. 
The coming of a family into the neighborhood was 
hailed with gladness by every one who had made a 
small beginning, and men, women and children 
turned out to assist the new-comer in erecting a 
cabin, and were always ready to share their last crust 
with him. Theological and political questions were 
lost sight of in their efforts to promote the welfare of 
those who were endeavoring to make a home in the 
dense forests. Their isolation from the world made 
those of every nationality the firmest friends, and to- 
day the warmest e.\pressions of welcome follow the 
hearty hand-shake of the veterans as they meet at 
the place apix)inted for their annual reunion. 

The first two meetings were held at the house of 
Daniel Childs, in Coe Township. The first was in 
1879, the second in 1880. About 40 persons re- 
sponded to the first call and a most enjoyable meet- 
ing was held. The officers elected at this meeting 
were : Walter McLean, Chairman, and Richard Hoy, 
Secretary. Rev. Chas. Taylor, Judge P. H. Estee 
and John Campbell delivered very fine adtlresses, 
and their remarks were humorously interspersed with 



^v- 






S,y 



1^- 

h 






> ISABELLA COUNTY. 

% 

t 



S8i 






v^) 



incidents of ()ioneer life. The second meeting was 
not so largely attended, but an excellent program 
was carried out. 'Die tliird annual was held at the 
court-house in JNIt. Pleasant, July 28, iS8r. Dinner 
was served at the St. James Hotel, which hostelry 
has since been destroyed by fire. No meeting was 
held in 1883, but arrangements are now in ])rogress 
to revive the organization, which, if allowed to be 
discontinued, would deprive the older people of the 
pleasure of an annual hand-shake, and the younger 
ones of an opportunity to listen to the tales of pio- 
neer life which are related so graphically by the early 
settlers of this countv. 



County Pool' Farm. 

MONG the benevolent institutions of Isa- 
^jpaaiJ^ bella County is the Poor Farm, which is 
S S^/ located in Chippewa Township, and is provided 
iii!r ^^''t'l buildings, most of which are new and in 
'* good condition. The house is not yet sup- 
plied with bath-room or bath-tub, but those 
conveniences will doubtless be added at an early day. 
The buildings are heated by wood stoves and ventil- 
ated by a transom over the door of each room. The 
paupers receive good and kind treatment, no corporal 
punishment being allowed. All who are able to 
work are reciuired to labor on the farm according to 
their physical condition, and all are reijuired to be 
cleanly. Their clothing is plain and comfortable, 
such as the farmer usually provides for himself Tiie 
food is plain and wholesome and of about the same 
quality as is found upon farmers' tables, such as 
wheat and corn bread, beef and salt pork, tea, coffee 
and buttermilk for drink, and fruit and vegetables in 
abundance. The sick are well cared for by the over- 
seer and his family, and a competent physician is 
employed by the county. No especial accommoda- 
tions are provided for the insane and idiotic inmates. 
The children are sent to a district school, which is 
one-half mile away, and where they have a good, 
kind teacher who endeavors to improve their minds 
and start their young lives in the right direction. 

The value of the county farm, including stock, 
buildings and all other j)roperty, is estimated at 
$9,250. The average amount paid annually to [)er- 



sons who are in indigent circumstances, outside the 
County Poor-house, for temporary relief, is over$2,ooo, 
while the total for maintenance of the ix)or at the 
farm and elsewhere averages $4,000. What a credit 
to the county of Isabella is such careful treatment of 
her paupers! Few farmers' families are better clothed 
or fed than the unfortunate ones who are entitled to 
benefits at the expense of her people. 




The Agricultural Society. 

J SABELLA, although a new county, is the 
center of an excellent agricultural district, 
r and the annual exhibiton of the products 
of her soil are flattering in a high degree. More 
attention is lately given by farmers to the breed- 
ing of fine stock, and the last exhibition held 
on the grounds of the society was a surprise even to 
the farmers themselves. 

The Agricultural Society of Isabella Count) was 
organized in 1868; but, having no grounds, the first 
three meetings were held on the court-house square. 
Two exhibitions were then held on some vacant lots 
in the northeastern part of the village of Mt. Pleas- 
ant. The exhibitions of stock and farm products 
had by this time assumed such proportions that the 
purchase of grounds and erection of suitable build- 
ings could no longer be delayed, and the committee 
appointed for that puriiose purchased the grounds in 
1880, which have since been enclosed with a tight 
board fence, and all the buildings, stables and ])ens 
for stock conveniently arranged, which are ample in 
every respect for the acconunodation of exhibitors. 

Contrary to custom, this society has always paid 
every premium awarded in full. Efforts to promote 
and encourage the interests of those engaged in ag- 
ricultural pursuits by members of this society have 
done much toward advancing scientific farming, the 
fruits of which are seen in the increased excellence 
of cereals, vegetables, stock and poultry. 

The race course is a full half mile, and turfmen 
say that it is the finest in the State, without excep- 
tion, the one at Kalamazoo being second in the list. 

The location being central, and only one mile from 
Mt. Plensant, the grounds are easy of access by car- 
riage or rail, the Mt. Pleasant & Saginaw Railroad 



e 






c^: 






^ 



<^il!i:<^:i 




!2J^^^ 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 





Vi^ (Company having built a platform near the entrance 
3^ gate, at which place passengers are landed. 
.■^^ Only a small indebtedness yet remains, wliicli 
T under the efficient management of the directors will 
"J. be liquidated during the year. 

The present officers are : John Landon, President; 
Lewis Griffith, .Secretary, and \V. W. Preston, Treas- 
urer. The Executive Committee consists of one 
Vice President from each township in the county. 

-»■ :=^ j[MJr ■ 3 :< !=: — »- 

Educational Interests. 

DUCATIONAI. work lias undergone a 
complete change since the first schools 
were organized in Isabella County. The 
vast difference between the old and new meth- 
ods is plainly apparent. In "ye olden times " 
tiie preceptor's word was supreme law in his 
/\ little kingdom, and this law was enforced by a gen- 
=i erous distribution of strokes from the well seasoned 
•^ birch rod. To execute a pencil sketch upon a slate 
=3 was deemed a misdemeanor which merited at least 
12 strokes from this same reformer, wielded by the 
^ sturdy arm of an incensed pedagogue. To ask as- 
sistance in the solution of a perplexing problem in 
mathematics more than twice during school hours 
consigned the unfortunate pupil to a seat on the 
"dunce block," the most observed, but not the most 
envied personage, in the room. The old straight 
backed benches and pine desks, smeared with butter 
and molasses and defaced by the big boys' "j.ick "- 
knives, have been superseded by single desks, where 
each student has all tlie comforts and conveniences 
he can desire. 

The text-books were, at that date, of a miscellane- 
ous character, nearly every family having preserved 
the remnants of books which their fathers and 
mothers had studied during their school days, and 
were now brought into use by their children to save 
expenses, being deemed by the parents ipiite good 
1 enough for anybody. 

Ml the scholars possessed Ray's .Arithmetic, the 
only text-book of which there were a half-dozen 
alike. (Geography was represented by " Peter Padey" 
^ and Monteith's Manual; readers, by McGuffey's, 
^ Sanders', Eclectic and National Series; grammar, by 



V 



-s 



I 



Pinneo, Green's Analysis, Clark's Easy Method and 
Brown's Parsing Lessons. Webster's Elementary, 
Sanders', Worcester's and the Eclectic Spellers were 
used indiscriminately. The scholars could hardly 
be classed, much less graded. Now, the systematic 
manner of grading pupils, the uniformity of text- 
books, with improved methods of teaching by object 
lessons and otherwise, give pupils of this day advan- 
tages not dreamed of 20 years ago. Students 12 
years of age are in many instances further advanced 
in rhetoric, physiology and mathematics than were 
the less fortunate jnipils who attended public schools 
during the entire time prescribed by law, not two 
decades since. 

The alegantly arranged and substantial school 
building in Mt. Pleasant was commenced in 1S81, 
hut not completed until the following spring. In its 
construction, special attention has been paid to ven- 
tilation, light and heating apparatus. The corner- 
stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies July 2, 
1 88 1, in which is deposited copies of all the papers 
published in the county, and other articles of historic 
interest. The building is two stories in heiglit, con- 
taining eight rooms besides closets, etc., which are 
splendidly arranged for the different grades. The 
furniture is well adapted for pupils of all ages, and 
the corps of teachers employed are the best that can 
be obtained; so that 400 pupils can be amply accom- 
modated without using the recitation rooms. Six 
teaciiers are now employed, wiiose salaries amount 
to §2,620 per annum. The building and site cost 
the village $17,300. The site is an excellent one, 
having good drainage, and the location is easily ac- 
cessible from any part of the village. 

The numlier of children enrolled in the several 
townships of the county are here given, together with 
the number of school buildings in each. 

Union Township has six whole and two frac- 
tional districts. The number of children between 
the ages of five and twenty years, according to the 
last school census, is 867. There is but one brick 
school building in the township, — that at Mt. Pleas- 
ant. Four out of the eight are frame structures, antl 
three are still the primitive log school-houses. 

Isabella has seven whole districts and the number 
of children enrolled is 459. There are four frame 
school-houses, one log, and two situated in the In- 
dian Reservation and are under the control of the 



I 

f 



A 



C< 






(7^. 



^^Da^llDit>A 



A. 



-*4i^*§^ 



Ife' 



)$«^^ 



<^llll^llll>j>^ 



f 



/N 



>^ 



V 



I 



■*=r-7 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 



4^^^ 



United States Government, which employs the 
teachers. These schools are patronized only by 
resident Indians. They will probably be dispensed 
with at an early day, as the small number of jiupils 
hardly warrants their maintenance. 

In Vernon there are si.x whole districts and one 
fractional. The number of children elegible to the 
benefit of school training amounts to 421. This 
township has but one log school-house, the remain- 
ing five iieing neat frame buildings. 

The township of Wise has b>it three whole districts 
and one fractional one. The number of children be- 
tween five and twenty years of age is 166. Of the 
four school ouildings, two are frame and two log. 

Three buildings, two frame and one log, constitute 
the educational institutions of Denver Township. 
The whole number of pupils is estimated at 109. 

The progressive township of Chippewa has five 
whole districts and one fractional. Two hundred 
and forty-five children are enrolled and but 153 have 
attended during the last school year. Five of the 
buildings for school purposes are neat and commodi- 
ous frame structures, while the remaining one is a 
log house. 

The first school-house in tlie county was built in 
Coe Township. In this township there are six whole 
districts and two fractional ones. One of the latter 
has been organized very recently from other districts. 
The number of pupils enrolled is 514. In Coe we 
find an absence of the old log school-house, every 
district being provided with substantial and modern 
frame buildings. 

Lincoln has seven districts, one of which is frac- 
tional. None of the schools in tliis township are 
graded. District No. 4 has a nice brick school- 
house ; district No. 7 has the olden-time log, and the 
remaining five are supplied with frame buildings. 
Number of eligible pupils is 4t7. 

There are six con.modious frame and one brick 
building in Fremont, for school purposes. There are 
422 pupils enrolled. 

Deerfield has 247 pupils between the ages of five 
and twenty years; out of tliis number only 190 at- 
tend school, and these are divided among eleven 
districts, nine of which are whole and one fractional. 
Six of these school- houses are frame and five log. 

Nottawa has but four districts, and of the four 
school-houses three are log and one frame. Of the 
130 pupils in the township only 65 attend school. 




Gilmore has only three district schools and 114 
pupils in the township. Each of the three districts 
is provided with good frame school buildings. 

Cold water registers 159 pupils who are entitled to 
the educational privileges of the township. Two of 
the school buildings are frame, while the other three 
consist of logs. These, although fast going out of 
date, will serve for school ])urposes till frame or i)rick 
buildings can be erected. 

Sherman, although having only 139 pujiils, has six 
district schools. Three of the houses are frame and 
two log buildings, and the remaining one is con- 
structed of blocks. 

Broom field has four whole districts, and one more 
is about to be organized. There are but 96 pupils, 
and only 54 of these arc members of the different 
schools. Two frame and three log school l)uildings 
constitute the whole. 

Seven frame school buildings are scattered over as 
many districts in the township of Rolland. Six of 
them are whole districts and one is a fractional. Three 
hundred and fifty-nine children are qualified to enjoy 
school benefits in this township. 

Neat frame buildings are rapidly taking the place 
of the old log school-houses, and the cause of edu- 
cation is constantly advancing, even in the rural dis- 
tricts. The schools of Isabella County compare fa- 
vorably with those of her sister counties, although 
young in years and having a limited population. 



■"^Jissi/^^r^—m 



*^^!/3WJrjv 



Driving-Park Association. 

||l|®8iSIDE from the .Agricultural Society, there is 
iG^Esaa another association, bearing the title of 

^kg ly!j <i!9 > to 

SjSS? " Driving-Park Association," which has been 
'■liir 'P'ite profitable to its stockholders, besides af- 
ip fording an attraction for a large number of 
l)eople who delight in s[X)rting matters. The 
track is a full half-mile in extent, and the directors 
say that owners of fast horses tell then) tliat it is 
without equal in Michigan. 

'I'he following officers were elected at the last an- 
nual meeting, held April 19, 1884: President, Wm. 
Pickard ; Treasurer, F. \V. Carr; Secretary, Wm. T. 
Whitney; Directors — Albert B. Upton, Wm. Pickard, 



\^ 






% 



» 



i 



(^ 



584 



ISABELLA COUNTY. 






Wm. T. Whitney, Michael Garvin, T. VV. Swart, J. 
S. Brazee and F. W. Carr. 

Semi-annual meetings are held, and the purses are 
large enough to attract horsemen who own some of 
the most noted flyers. 






>^ 



V 




I 



The Isabella County Bar. 

HRREVER civilization exists, and minis- 
ters, doctors and other equally reputable 

l^^ji^ ' people are found, may be expected disci- 
2' pies of Blackstone, without whom the morals 
and munici'pal management of the country 
would soon be at low tide. The legal profes- 
sion everywhere is represented by men of talent, and 
the members of the Isabella County Bar are men of 
education and high standing in the community. 
Although the names given are all lawyers and mem- 
bers of the Bar, only eight of them follow the legal 
business exclusively. Of these, Charles T. and 
Fred Russell, Free Estee, H. H. Graves, Peter F., 
Wm. I., George E. and Francis H. Dodds are active 
members of profession, and all of them have a nice 
practice. Hon. Wm. N. Brown, John C. Leaton, John 
Maxwell, Dr. S. C. Brown, Charles A. Brown, S. W. 
Hopkins, Cyrus E. Russell, D. Scott Partridge and 
Judge Cornelius Bennett are all engaged also in other 
business, but find ample time and opportunity to keep 
their legal armor burnished ; and many a holly con- 
tested case has been won by these men, who not un- 
willingly resign the field to the younger and more 
ambitious gentlemen that really compose the active 
membership of the Bar of Isabella. All these men 
are residents of M*. Pleasant, and the greatest har- 
mony prevails among them. 

A case came before Judge Bennett while he was 
Justice of the Peace, which was settled satisfactorily 
without going to law. Wan-de-may-cpiay was a good- 
looking widow, with a sprightly lad of 12 summers 



her only heritage. Aw-zee-waw-me, her neighbor, 
was a widower, who also had a son about the same 
age. One day the boys went hunting, and his son 
fired his rifle at a robin and by accident killed his 
playmate, the widow's son. She came to Esquire 
Bennett's office to have the necessary papers made 
out for the arrest of her neighbor's son. The Es(iuire 
was giving her some advice in the matter, knowing 
the killing was purely accidental, when Aw-zee-waw- 
me came in, leading his boy by the hand. After 
hearing the story of her deceased son's excellent 
qualities, and the lamentations because her only 
support had thus been taken from her, he magnan- 
imously tendered her his own boy instead! She, not 
liking the lad very well, refused the liberal offer. 
They talked the matter over together for a few 
moments, when Aw-zee-waw-me said, "Well, I throw 
myself into the trade." The widow joyfully accepted 
this offer and the trio left Escjuire Bennett's office as 
happy as any newly married pair could feel, and 
returned to the widow's home to bury the dead boy. 

The nicest part of this story is, the couple are now 
living near Mt. Pleasant, and the husband is a mis- 
sionary among his people. They are doing nicely, 
and their courtship, although brief, has brought with 
it quite a pleasant married life. 

A very rough character came through the town 
several years ago, and while stopping at the hotel, 
stole a pair of beaver gloves from the pocket of a 
guest. The fellow was detected in the act, and 
arrested. He was taken before Esciuire Bennett, and 
a jury was summoned at the reipiest of the prisoner. 
One or two witnesses had been examined, when the 
fellow arose, and, drawing the gloves out of his 
pocket, remarked, "Well, boys, this thing has gone 
far enough. Here's the gloves: let's go over and 
take a drink." 

He evidently tliought the whole proceeding was 
a farce, but was apprised of his mistake when he was 
found guilty of the theft, and was afterward sentenced 
to confinement in the county jail for six montlis. 



V^ 



/N 



c< 



^; 









I 

I 

T 
1^ 



txp^- 



-:2^ ^ Q\ C-:I1I1^I1D^>T- 



-Tui&sr 



#1 



V© 






1 

3 










V 



-^^^ — '=-^^n!i>^iiti;>^ 



1 



"» 






■crv" 



<>DII^DD>> 



raf^^is: 4^^5C<^V^ 



I 



^^ 



yO) 



1=3 

> 



i 








^5 

V 

I 



I 



i»\®5«®*- 



■Si^g r ■ a ' ^ CjllD:<nill->^ 



_;Sv^>«^^(;*^ 



^) 






S3?Jfca' 



(e))€<^t#» 



(h 



i^^B^'isr 



TTV 



^ 



^>r- 








> 



1 
f 

i 



;^ 



Ackerraan.B. A 235 

Adams, Henry 310 

Adams, John 23 

Adams, John Quincy 39 

Adams, \Vm <52 

Albright, Amos F 598 

Alexander, Jackson 382 

Alger, George B 290 

Allen, E. W 453 

Allen, James B 195 

Allen, JamesD 188 

Alvord, E. E 382 

Armstrong, 1. M 260 

Armstrong, James 265 

Arnold, D. F 4>4 

Arnold, l.E 388 

Arthur, Chester A 99 

Atkih, George 4>7 

Ayling.Ch.^rles J 185 

Ayling, James 275 

B 

Hachelder, Jerome 185 

Kagley, John J 157 

Baker, Geo. W 184 

Baker, Jacob 2>6 

Baker, John US 

Baldwin, Henry P 153 

Bamber, Thomas 244 

Barden, Charles 3*9 

Barnes, A.W 250 

Barrett, Hiram 3« 

Barry, James so9 

Barry, John S 113 

Begole, Josiah W 169 

Bcllingar, Edward 243 

Bennett, Cornelius 181 

Bennett, P. F 427 

Blgelow, H. I) 287 

Bingham, Kinsley S 137 

Blair, Austin 145 

Blake, Samuel 508 

Blesch, George 4'9 

Block, John 34° 

Eogan, Cornelius 290 

Bogue, Charles D 240 



BoUman, Wm. F 390 

Bone, Francis 4=7 

Bowen,W. B 37S 

Bowcn,W. H 4'6 

Bowman, Charles E 523 

Boyden, Francis N 322 

Br.idley, Joseph M 282 

Briggs, Lester 270 

Brodie, Alex 211 

Brooks, Charles M 459 

Brooks, David W 31. 

Broomficld,Wm 361 

Brown, Geo. W 404 

Brown, Moses 5:0 

Brown, S. C 478 

Brown, Wm.N 475 

Brubaker, H. A 319 

Buchanan, James 75 

Buhrer, Conrad 203 

Bundy, Caleb 244 

Burdick, Daniel 428 

Burnham,L 186 

Burr, Henry 377 

Burwash, James A ;.324 

Bush. James 1 303 

Button, Ethan 299 

c 

Caldwell. Arthur B 215 

Caldwell, H. C 323 

Caldwell, James C 267 

Cameron, Alex 398 

Campbell, James 333 

Campbell, James J 508 

Campbell, Roderick 309 

Carr, F. W 213 

Carroll, Thomas 334 

Chapman, Peter 243 

Chatterton, J. E 204 

Childs, A. F 458 

Christie, I. B 384 

Clark, Sidney 208 

Clule, A. J 279 

Coburn,E R 238 

Cohoon.B. A 345 

Cole,G. W : 367 

Coles, Columbus 353 

Colley, S.C 291 

Conley, Peter 331 

Conlogue, V. F 485 



Converse. J. A 271 

Converse, M. 1 258 

Coon, C. E 409 

Cope, J. C 304 

Copeman, H. C 236 

Corbus, W J., M. D 501 

Cowles, Whitney H 388 

Cox.Wm. W 299 

Craft, Samuel 43' 

Crapo, Henry H 149 

Crego, Frank C 463 

Crowley, E. S 346 

Crowley, W. R 188 

Croswcll, Charles M 161 

Crum, Cyrus 246 

Cullimore, George P 234 

Curtiss, Charles F 248 

Curtiss, John W 229 

Cutler, Wm. 1 492 



Dalton , M ichael 440 

Davenport, .\nson 460 



Da 



507 



Davis, James 498 

Dawson , George E 342 

DeHart, Martin Z 240 

Dclaney, Edward 397 

Delo, John 384 

Demlow, Charles 714 

Denslow, J.H 269 

DePuy, George W 387 

Devereaux, M 495 

l)ibbl<^D. B 191 

Dibble, Mason B 407 

Dickerson, C. C 396 

Dingman, Timothy 304 

Dixon, George E 300 

Dodds,P. F 316 

Dodge, H. C.; 324 

Doherty, A. J 268 

Doughty, Jared H 312 

Doughty, J. R 523 

Doxiic, Daniel 262 

Drew, Amos F 247 

Drew, John A 355 

Drum, Edward 358 

Dubois, Edward 314 

Dusenbiiry, G. A 452 



Dush,Elzy. 
Dush, Wm. 



Esrl, George 215 

Karl, Samuel 420 

Elden Wm. H 4M 

Eldred,S.D 202 

Ellis, Franklin W 353 

Ellis Wesley 343 

Ervin, Robert 352 

■5'7 



Estee, L. D 358 

F.stee, Perry H 255 



Kauchcr, I. A ^.,4 

Fasquclle, M. F., M. D 437 

Faulkner, Geo. C ....342 

Faunce,EllisG 396 

Faunce, Wm. L 276 

Fay, .JVllcn S ..308 

Fclch , Alpheus 117 

Ferris Geo. A ,10 



Fillmore, Millard 67 

Foglesong, Geo. W 218 

Forbes, C. M 503 

Forbes, Wm. B 288 

Ford, John M 322 

Ford, Orrin E 367 

Fordyce, T. 1 433 

Foidyce T.J 376 

Fosgitt Silas 493 

Fouls Geo. W 212 

Fox, Joseph B 369 

Fr.aser, John 451 

Fraser, Thomas E 403 

Freeman, Geo. H 518 

Frisbee, Hon. A. T 259 

Frost, Jesse D 516 



Gachtcr, Joseph 
Gardner, Chas. 1 
Garfield, J a 
Gaskill, Hai 






c< 






--rr<->iifl^i]n;>ve — ^^^^ 



/-■• ^J 





INDEX. 



r^^i^ 



\ 

1 

I=Z 

I 



Hall, Alex 257 

Hall, H. T 377 

Hammond. S. C 3.3 

Hammond, J. C 330 

HanccAdam ..214 

Hance Albert W. 197 

Hance, U. W 217 

Hancr, Hon J.W 440 

HanneWm. H 333 

Hannett, Thomas 278 

Hardgrove, JohnC 5,9 

Harris, John A 370 

Harris, Wm. E 508 

Harrison, Wm. H 51 

Hart, Stephen 314 

Hawkins, Harriet A 250 

Hjwkins, Lewis C 301 

Hayes, Kiitherford B gi 

Hengesbach, Theodore 335 

Hersey, Cieo. H 354 

Higgins, Joseph 389 

Hillyard.M. H.... ..........194' 

Hipkins, E. S 428 

Hook, Conrad 193 

Hopkins, D.J 36. 

Hopkins, K. M 478 

Hopkins, Hon. S. W 425 

Horan, Wm 336 

Homing. Geo. B 300 

Horning, Tobias P 333 

Horning, Wm 298 

Hotighton, L. A ■■279 

Honsc, George 437 

Howorth.G.W 4,8 

Hoy, Richard 362 

Hunmcl. Theodore 267 

Hummel. Wm A. M 256 

Hungcrford. M. M 245 

Hursh.Mrs. E ,95 

Hiirsh, Sterling A 335 

Hyslop, John . ....323 

I 

IngcrsoU, Isaac 516 

i rish , Wcl tington 370 



Jackson, Andrew 43 

J ackson , A ndrew 434 

Jakcway,P.J 293 

Jefferson, Thomas 27 

Jeffords, Charles P 464 

Jerome, David H 165 

Johnson, Andrew 83 

Johnson, DewittS 230 

Johr-.son, Gilbert 321 

Johnson, J. Q. A 401 

Johnston, Kobert 280 

Jordan, J. H 344 

Judge, Thomas 272 



Kc-ii, AlU-n, M. I) 236 

K,;lloga, Harding 398 

Kenn(;dy, Samuel 491 

Kimball, C 351 

Kinney, James 298 

Kinney, John 336 

Kinter, Cyrcnus 438 

Kintcr,J.M 486 

Kinter, Wm. H 207 

Koons,H. J 381 

Kratz, Jacob 215 

Kycs, Bcnj. F 258 

Kyes, Chauncey 362 

Kyes. Ransom 4M 

L 

I.andon.John T 201 

Lansing, Wm 433 

Laughlin, Kobert 211 

Leaton, John C 446 

Leonard, Merritt 472 

Lctson,S. A 339 

Licchti, Samuel 237 

Lincoln, Abraham 79 

Lloyd, James H 323 

Long, Maj. James W 513 

Loomis, David .....417 

Loomis, William 224 

Lynch, Daniel 246 

Lyon, D. E 269 

Lyons,J.P 402 



.®))«^f|— ■ 



M 



Madison, James 31 

Malconib,M. H.... 326 

M.inwell, James 205 

Marklcy,J 1 278 

Marthcy, Peter J 311 

Mason, Stevens T 105 

Mattison.Amos D 341 

Maxwell, John 203 

McCarthy, Rev. J. J 466 

McClelland, Robert 129 

M c Donald , George 192 

McKall, James H 



MiFarren. Wm. D 504 

McGihon Michael 320 

Mc(iuire, 'i'homas 300 

McKay, Anthony 381 

McKay, Andrew M 262 

McMillen, James M 227 

McNamara, Thomas 486 

McQueen, E. F 197 

Miles, Wm 364 

Miller, Andrew J 344 

M iller , ticorge 345 

Miller, John 332 

Miser, Joseph 356 

Mitchell, C.K 465 

Monroe,Jamcs 35 

Moody, Orrin 310 

Moore, Elijah 477 

Morrison, John 4.0 

Morrison, Neal 277 

Morse, David 192 

Mount, i:. P 419 

Murtha, George 415 

Murtha, Michael 207 

Murtha, S. P 407 

Myers, Joseph s"' 



Neelands. Robert 34 

Ney, E.C 453 

Nichols, John L 363 



Oalhoiit, Lafayette.^. 410 

O'Boyle, Andrew J." 418 

O'Boyle, Michael 489 

O'Brien, James M 293 

O'Connor, James 454 

Ostrandcr, James 308 

Owen, Joseph A 239 



Palmer, Fred. K 354 

Parmcnter, N. S 280 

Parmenter,W.W 356 

Parrish. Thomas 354 

Parsell, Warren W 390 

Parsons, Andrew 133 

Parsons.L. H 5,0 

Partridge, D. Scott 444 

Payne. L. C 396 

Pearson, Robert 330 

Porin, Jesse 355 

Peterson, Wm. M ..325 

Petz, Lawrence J., M. D 261 

Phillips, Nicholas 302 

Phillips, Thomas 301 

Pickard, Thomas 489 

Pickard, Wm 507 

Pierce, Frank D 312 

Pierce, Franklin 71 

Plowman, Eira P 470 

Polk, James K 59 

Potter, 1 . M 228 




Preston, Albert A 497 

Preston, Wallace W 228 

Priest, Lewis 256 



Quick, George M 302 

Quick, L. B 380 



Ransom, Epaphroditus 125 

Raymond, J. D 346 

Redfield. Wm. E 526 

Reed. James 302 

Rcndcll. John 191 

Richards. Lewis 363 

Richardson. Charles A 188 

Richardson, C. W 413 

Richar.lson,M. D 483 

Richardson , Seth S 206 

Richardson, Silas B 248 

Rich mond , Jesse T 390 

Roberts, Michael 387 

Robbins, Charles 334 

Robbins, P. H 354 

Robbing. Wm. R 266 

Robinson, Charles W 303 

Robinson, Rev. John R 454 

Robinson. Thomas W 332 

Rockafellow,J. C 432 

Root. Thomas J 292 

Ross. Wm 292 

Ross.W.T 478 

Row lader. Alfred C 329 

Rowlader, John 196 

Rudler, Joseph 224 

Ruse, G. A 408 

Russell, Charles t 471 

Russell, Edwin 483 

Ruthruff, G. W 364 

Ruthruff, John 249 

Ryerson, Martin M 466 



Salisbury, E. A 186 

Sandbrook, George 20a 

Sanford,G. H 413 

Saniord, Peter 297 

Sawyer. Charles W 498 

Saxlon. Wm. H 257 

Schafer, John A 460 

Schafer, Michael 519 

Schofield, Miles 40a 

Servoss, Philip ...50a 

Shappee, M. (\ 288 

Shaver. A. A 47a 

Shaver, C. B ,45 

Sheldon. Rev. R. P 265 

Shepherd, 1. N 261 

Simmons. Wm. 1 301 

Simonds, Wm. H 237 

Simpson, G. W 217 

Smith, Levi S 49.S 



V^' 



^^ 



^ 



$>: 



\j 



fn) 



I 




m 

I 



^%^^^^sr 



INDEX. 



-7^^ 



4) 



Smith, S. S ?70 

Sopcr, J. H S20 

SpccktG . F 419 

Stdndbridge, Charles H 329 

Stanley, Richard S 249 

Stebbins, F. A 458 

Stcbbins,0. W 516 

StincG. W 3" 

Stirling, Charles 333 

Stringer, E. C 198 

Stringer, Lewis 289 

Struble, Allen J., M. n 510 

Strublc, Henry 297 

Struble Joseph A 490 

Strublc, J. J , M. D 357 

Struble, Nath.lniel W 282 

Struble, Wm. W 518 

Sullivan, PC 198 

Sutherland, C. H 289 

Sutliff, Ransley 245 

Swanston, Wm 3*9 

Swart, T. W 517 

Sweeney, Frank S 502 

Swindlchurst, James 465 

Switzer, David 271 

T 

Tanner, Jonathan 343 



Taylor, Charles 206 

Taylor, Mrs. C. W., M. D...341 

Taylor, L. L 235 

Taylor, Zachary 63 

Thayer, Orlando B J77 

Thompson, C. H 272 

Tinker, James H 237 

Tombs, Martin A 416 

Tombs, Theodore A 464 

Tomlinson, Wm 330 

Towns, Wm. P 260 

Trevidick, Henry 287 

Tubbs, F. M 358 

Tubbs, James 470 

'I'uckcr, David ..507 

Turbush, Wm ...281 

Turnbull, Thomas 225 

Twomley, C. B 418 

rryler,F. H 335 

TyIer,John 55 

U 

Upton, .\. B 223 

Upton, Joshua J 496 

V 

Van Buren, Martin 47 



VanDecar, Levi B 368 

VanDccar, Wallace M 321 

Vansicc, J. N 491 

Vrcdenbulg A. C 275 

Vroman. David C 520 

W 

Wagner, John 2.6 

Waight, Geo. W 244 

Wallace Daniel 313 

Walton. J. B 443 

Walton, T.W 446 

Ward, Arthur N 459 

Ward,C. A 490 

Ward, H. E 309 

Ward, Wm. E 415 

Wardwell, Warren 268 

Washington, George 19 

Wellman, Nelson.. 329 

Westlake, C. E..." 509 

Weston, A.D 278 

Whit.ikcr, Wm. H 307 

Whitehead Wm 187 

Whitnry, Benj 520 

Whitney, C. C 503 

Whitney, George G 205 

Whitney, R. G. 198 




Whitney, Wm. T 
Williams, Frank. 
Williams, Wm. ^ 
Wilsey, Ja 
Wing, Benj. 

Winn, Lanson.... 332 

Wing, Warren 227 

Winter, Wesley J 434 

Winters, Byron 320 

Wisner, Moses 141 

Wolfe, John A 308 

Wolfe, Solomon 415 

Wolfgang, Cornelius 397 

Wonch.Wm. H 440 

Wood, Jesse H 408 

Woodbridge, Wm .109 

Woodin, Henry 457 

Wood in, Amos E 247 



Y.arnell, John 439 

Young, Alfred L 204 

Yunckcr, Jacob P 431 



^ 






9 



>5 






^ 



i 



Be 



Mr 




"^ Adams, John 22 

' Adams, John Quincy 38 

■ Arthur, Chester A 98 

' Bagley, John J 156 

Baldwin, Henry P 152 

Barry, John S 112 

Bcgolc, Josiah W 168 

V Bcllingar, Edward 242 

I Bennett, Cornelius 178 



Bigelow, H. O 384 

Bigclow, Mrs. Mary E 285 

Bingham, Kinsley S 136 

' Blair, Austin 144 

> Bowman, Charles E 522 

- Brodie, Alex 210 

Broomfield, Wm 360 



, Br 
•Brubakci 
Brubakc 
• Bughana 



, Wn 



H. A. 



• ■ -3161 
...317 



-<-^'4<*>#^^>" 



^Cole, <;. W 36S 

I^Corbus, W.J,, M. D 500, 

X^rapo, Henry H 148 

' Crego, Frank C 46a 

Craft, Samuel 430 

►-Croswell, Charles M 160 

1 DePuy, George W 386 

' Devercaux, M 494 

• Dibble, D. B 190 

I Dibble, Mason B 406 

. Estce, Perry H 252 

• Eslee, Mrs. Carrie E 253 

Wasqiiclle, M. F., M. D 436 

/•^•elch, Alpheus iir. 

l^'illmore, Millard 56 

• Fraser, John 449 

, Fraser, Mrs Sylvia 448 

•^Garfield, James A 94 

'Glass, Rufus F 349 

kClass, Mrs. Harriet 348 

rCirant, I^wis 392 

^Grant, Mrs. Ida 393 



ii^vD)«^fi- — f^m^- — '^-^^i 



t Grant, Ulysses S 86 

^Greenly, William L 120 

« Harrison, Wm. H 50 

' Hayes, Rutherford B go 

►Hopkins, Hon. S. W 432 

Hopkins, Mrs. Maggie V 423 

I Jackson, Andrew 42 

^ Jefferson, Thomas a6 

Jerome, David H 164 

^Johnson, Andrew 82 

•■Johnson, J. Q. A 400 

"Koons, H. J 380 

n.audon, John T 200 

• Lelson, S. A 338 

Lincoln, Abraham 78 

K^ong, Maj . James W 512 

' Madison James 30 

' Mason, Stevens T 104 

'''McClelland, Robert 128 

V^Monroe,James 43 

^Parsons, Andrew 132 

•Tickard, 'Jhomas 488 






V) 



iTickard, William 506 

■^Pierce, Franklin 70 

xPolk, James K 58 

i-Ransom, Epaphroditus 124 

' Rowlandcr, Alfred C 328 

• Russell, Edwin 480 

• Russell, Mrs. Emily 481 

• Sanford,G. H 412 

»^anford, Peter 396 

'Sheldon, Rev. R. P 264 

' Taylor, Zachary 62 

•Tyler, John 54 

•Upton, A. B 220 

'Upton, Mrs. Mell 221 

"Van Buren, Martin 46 

*^redenburg, .\. C 274 

^Walton, John B 442 

''Washington, George 18 

•^hitaker, Wm. H 306 

' Whitney, Wm. T ^68 

•^Voodbridge, William loS 

" Woodin, Henry 456 






m 



W})-r^)^^^ 



■cr 



V<^:DD^IiD^>v 



■>s^J^ 



^C^^i^^C^aV^ 




^' 



>: 



INTRODUCTORY 

Value of Local History 
INDIAN HISTORY 

The Chippewas 
EARLY HISTORY 
POLITICAL HISTORY 
TOWNSHIPS 

Coe 

Chippewa 

Isabella 

Fremont 

Rolland 

Vernon 

Gilmore 

Broom field 

Union 

Nottawa 

Sherman 

Deeifield 

Coldwater 

Lincoln 

Wise 

Denver 
ANECDOTAL 

Miles Chased by a Bear 

Bear Afraid of Fire 



529 
530 
531 
532 
535 
541 
543 
543 
544 
546 
547 
547 
548 
549 
55° 
551 
552 
553 
553 
555 
55 5 
556 
557 
558 
558 
559 



A Rum Story 559 

A Heart-breaking Loss 560 
An Indian Suicide 560 

Most Blood-Curdling, 

Hair-breadth Escape 561 
Love at First Sit;ht 561 

Isabella a Good County 561 
The Indians' Love of 

Whisky 562 

Pioneer " Pleasures " 562 
Nearly All the Men in the 

Army 563 

An Odd Method of Cap- 
turing a Deer 563 
Pioneer Sociabilily 563 
Two More Bear Stories 563 
Indian Morals Concern- 
ing Murder 564 
An Old Newspaper 564 
MT. PLEASANT 565 
Business Interests 569 
Churches and Societies 571 
Methodist 57 1 
Presbyterian 572 
UWtarian 572 
Catholic 573 



Episcopal 573 

Baptist 574 

Sunday-schools 574 

• Musicians 574 

Masonic 575 

Maccabees 575 

THE PRESS . 576 

Isabella County Enter- 
prise 576 
Northwestern Tribune 576 
Mt. Pleasant Times 576 
R.\ILROADS 577 
Saginaw & Mt. Pleasant 577 
Flint & Pere Marquette 578 
Lansing, Alma, Mt. Pleas- 
ant & Northern 57S 
MISCELLANEOUS 579 
Material Interests 579 
Pioneer Society 580 
Patriotism 580 
County Poor Farm 581 
Agricultural Society 581 
Educational Interests 582 
Driving-Park Association 583 
Isabella County Bar 584 




A 



C< 



V 



^^^AS)^^^ 



-^^€ ^ (P. ^ c^nii:^tiii;iy^-^ — ^^^^^ 




